MONITORING THE FUTURE
NATIONAL RESULTS ON
ADOLESCENT DRUG USE
Overview of Key Findings, 2011
by
Lloyd D. Johnston, Ph.D.
Patrick M. O’Malley, Ph.D.
Jerald G. Bachman, Ph.D.
John E. Schulenberg, Ph.D.
The University of Michigan
Institute for Social Research
Sponsored by:
The National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institutes of Health
This publication was written by the principal
investigators and staff of the Monitoring the Future
project at the Institute for Social Research, the
University of Michigan, under Research Grant No. 3 R01
DA 01411 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of
the authors and do not necessarily represent the views
of the sponsor.
Public Domain Notice
All material appearing in this volume is in the public
domain and may be reproduced or copied without
permission from the authors. Citation of the source is
appreciated.
Recommended Citation
Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., &
Schulenberg, J. E. (2012). Monitoring the Future
national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of
key findings, 2011. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social
Research, The University of Michigan.
Institute for Social Research
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Printed February 2012
Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 1
Study Design and Methods ..................................................................................................... 3
Summary of Key Findings ..................................................................................................... 5
Specific Results by Drug
Any Illicit Drug...................................................................................................... 10
Marijuana ............................................................................................................... 12
Inhalants ................................................................................................................. 14
LSD ........................................................................................................................ 16
Cocaine .................................................................................................................. 18
Crack ...................................................................................................................... 20
Amphetamines ....................................................................................................... 22
Methamphetamine and Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice) ...................................... 24
Heroin .................................................................................................................... 26
Other Narcotic Drugs, Including OxyContin and Vicodin .................................... 28
Tranquilizers .......................................................................................................... 30
Sedatives (Barbiturates) ......................................................................................... 32
Ecstasy (MDMA) and Other “Club Drugs”........................................................... 34
Alcohol .................................................................................................................. 36
Cigarettes ............................................................................................................... 38
Smokeless and Other Forms of Tobacco ............................................................... 40
Steroids .................................................................................................................. 42
Subgroup Differences ........................................................................................................... 44
Tables Covering All Drugs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Trends in Lifetime Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs for Grades 8, 10,
and 12 Combined ................................................................................................... 46
Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs for Grades 8, 10,
and 12 Combined ................................................................................................... 47
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs for Grades 8, 10,
and 12 Combined ................................................................................................... 48
Trends in Daily Prevalence of Use of Selected Drugs for Grades 8, 10,
and 12 Combined ................................................................................................... 49
Trends in Lifetime Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs in Grades 8, 10,
and 12..................................................................................................................... 50
Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs in Grades 8,
10, and 12............................................................................................................... 56
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs in Grades 8,
10, and 12............................................................................................................... 61
Contents (continued)
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Daily Use of Various Drugs in Grades
8, 10, and 12........................................................................................................... 65
Trends in Harmfulness of Drugs as Perceived by 8th Graders .............................. 66
Trends in Harmfulness of Drugs as Perceived by 10th Graders............................ 67
Trends in Harmfulness of Drugs as Perceived by 12th Graders ............................ 68
Trends in Disapproval of Drug Use in Grade 8 ..................................................... 71
Trends in Disapproval of Drug Use in Grade 10 ................................................... 72
Trends in Disapproval of Drug Use in Grade 12 ................................................... 73
Trends in Availability of Drugs as Perceived by 8th Graders ............................... 75
Trends in Availability of Drugs as Perceived by 10th Graders ............................. 76
Trends in Availability of Drugs as Perceived by 12th Graders ............................. 77
Introduction
Monitoring the Future (MTF) is a long-term study of
American adolescents, college students, and adults
through age 50. It has been conducted annually by the
University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research
since its inception in 1975 and is supported under a
series of investigator-initiated, competing research
grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The need for a study such as MTF is clear. Substance
use by American young people has proven to be a
rapidly changing phenomenon, requiring frequent
assessments and reassessments. Since the mid-1960s,
when it burgeoned in the general youth population,
illicit drug use has remained a major concern for the
nation. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are
leading causes of morbidity and mortality, during
adolescence as well as later in life. How vigorously
the nation responds to teenage substance use, how
accurately it identifies the emerging substance abuse
problems, and how well it comes to understand the
effectiveness of policy and intervention efforts largely
depend on the ongoing collection of valid and reliable
data. Monitoring the Future is uniquely designed to
generate such data in order to provide an accurate
picture of what is happening in this domain and why,
and the study has served that function well for the past
37 years. Policy discussions in the media, in
government, education, public health institutions, and
elsewhere have been informed by the ready
availability of extensive and consistently accurate
information from the study relating to a large number
of substances. Similarly, the work of organizations
and agencies providing prevention and treatment
services is informed by MTF.
The 2011 the MTF survey encompassed about 46,700
8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in 400 secondary
schools nationwide. The first published results are
presented in this report. Recent trends in the use of
licit and illicit drugs are emphasized, as well as trends
in the levels of perceived risk and personal
disapproval associated with each drug. This study has
shown these beliefs and attitudes to be particularly
important in explaining trends in use. In addition,
trends in the perceived availability of each drug are
presented.
A synopsis of the design and methods used in the
study and an overview of the key results from the
2011 survey follow this introductory section. These
are followed by a separate section for each individual
drug class, providing figures that show trends in the
overall proportions of students at each grade level (a)
using the drug, (b) seeing a “great risk” associated
with its use (perceived risk), (c) disapproving of its
use (disapproval), and (d) saying they could get it
“fairly easily” or “very easily” if they wanted to
(perceived availability). For 12th graders, annual data
are available since 1975, and for 8th and 10th graders,
since 1991, the first year they were included in the
study.
The tables at the end of this report provide the
statistics underlying the figures; in addition, they
present data on lifetime, annual, 30-day, and (for
selected drugs) daily prevalence.1 For the sake of
brevity, we present these prevalence statistics here
only for the 1991–2011 interval, but statistics on 12th
graders are available for earlier years in other MTF
publications. For each prevalence period, the tables
indicate which of the most recent one-year changes
(between 2010 and 2011) are statistically significant.
The graphic depictions of multiyear trends often
indicate gradual, continuing change that may not
reach significance in a given one-year interval.
A much more extensive analysis of the study’s
findings on secondary school students may be found
in Volume I, the second monograph in this series,
which will be published later in 2012.2 Volume I
contains a more complete description of the study’s
methodology as well as an appendix explaining how
to test the significance of differences between groups
and of trends over time. The most recent such volume
is always available on the MTF website,
listed
under
www.monitoringthefuture.org,
Publications.
1
Prevalence refers to the proportion or percentage of the sample reporting use of
the given substance on one or more occasions in a given time interval—e.g.,
lifetime, past 12 months, or past 30 days. For most drugs, the prevalence of
daily use refers to reported use on 20 or more occasions in the past 30 days,
except for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, for which actual daily use is
measured, and for binge drinking, defined as having 5+ drinks on at least one
occasion in the prior two weeks.
2
The most recent publication in this series is Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M.,
Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2011). Monitoring the Future national
survey results on drug use, 1975–2010: Volume I, Secondary school students.
Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, 744 pp.
1
MTF’s findings on American college students and
adults through age 50 are not covered in this early
Overview report because the data from those
populations become available later in the year. These
findings will be covered in Volume II, the third
monograph in this annual series, which will be
published later in 2012.3 A fourth monograph,
HIV/AIDS; Risk and Protective Behaviors Among
Young Adults, dealing with national trends in
HIV/AIDS-related risk and protective behaviors
among young adults 21 to 30 years old, was added to
the series in 2009.4 For the publication years prior to
2010, the volumes in these annual series are available
3
The most recent publication in this series is: Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M.,
Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2011). Monitoring the Future national
survey results on drug use, 1975–2010: Volume II, College students & adults
ages 19–50. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of
Michigan, 312 pp.
4
The most recent publication in this series is: Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M.,
Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2010). HIV/AIDS: Risk and protective
behaviors among American young adults, 2004–2008 (NIH Publication No. 107586). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 52 pp.
2
from the NIDA Drug Publications Research
Dissemination Center at 877-NIDA-NIH (877-6432644); or by e-mail at http://drugpubs.drugabuse.gov.
Beginning with the 2010 publication date, the
volumes are available electronically at the MTF
website. Further information on the study, including
its latest press releases, a listing of all publications,
and the text of many of them may be found at
www.monitoringthefuture.org.
Study Design and Methods
Monitoring the Future’s main data collection involves
a series of large, annual surveys of nationally
representative samples of public and private
secondary school students throughout the coterminous
United States. Every year since 1975 a national
sample of 12th graders has been surveyed. In 1991 the
study was expanded to include comparable, independent national samples of 8th and 10th graders. The
year 2011 marked the 37th national survey of 12th
graders and the 21st national survey of 8th and 10th
graders.
Sample Sizes
The 2011 sample sizes were about 16,500, 15,400,
and 14,900 in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, respectively.
In all, about 46,700 students in 400 secondary schools
participated. Because multiple questionnaire forms are
administered at each grade level to increase coverage
of attitudinal and behavioral domains relevant to
substance use, and because not all questions are
contained in all forms, the number of cases upon
which a particular statistic is based may be less than
the total sample size. The tables here contain notes on
the number of forms used for each statistic if less than
the total sample is used.
Field Procedures
University of Michigan staff members administer the
questionnaires to students, usually in their classrooms
during a regular class period. Participation is
voluntary. Parents are notified well in advance of the
survey administration and are provided the
opportunity to decline their child’s participation.
Questionnaires are self-completed and are formatted
for optical scanning.
In 8th and 10th grades the questionnaires are
completely anonymous, and in 12th grade they are
confidential (name and address information is
gathered to permit the longitudinal follow-up surveys
of random subsamples of participants after high
school). Extensive, carefully designed procedures are
followed to protect the confidentiality of the
participants and their data. All procedures are
reviewed and approved on an annual basis by the
University of Michigan’s Institutional Review Board
(IRB) for compliance with federal guidelines for the
treatment of human subjects.
Measures
A standard set of three questions is used to determine
usage levels for the various drugs (except for
cigarettes and smokeless tobacco). For example, we
ask, “On how many occasions (if any) have you used
marijuana . . . (a) . . . in your lifetime? (b) . . . during
the past 12 months? (c) . . . during the last 30 days?”
Each of the three questions is answered on the same
answer scale: 0, 1–2, 3–5, 6–9, 10–19, 20–39, and 40
or more occasions.
For the psychotherapeutic drugs (amphetamines,
sedatives [barbiturates], tranquilizers, and narcotics
other than heroin), respondents are instructed to
include only use “. . . on your own—that is, without a
doctor telling you to take them.” A similar
qualification is used in the question on use of anabolic
steroids, OxyContin, Vicodin and several other drugs.
For cigarettes, respondents are asked two questions
about use. First they are asked, “Have you ever
smoked cigarettes?” The answer categories are
“never,” “once or twice,” and so on. The second
question asks, “How frequently have you smoked
cigarettes during the past 30 days?” The answer
categories are “not at all,” “less than one cigarette per
day,” “one to five cigarettes per day,” “about one-half
pack per day,” etc.
Smokeless tobacco questions parallel those for
cigarettes.
Alcohol use is measured using the three questions
illustrated above for marijuana. A parallel set of three
questions asks about the frequency of being drunk. A
different question asks, for the prior two-week period,
“How many times (if any) have you had five or more
drinks in a row?”
Perceived risk is measured by a question asking,
“How much do you think people risk harming
themselves (physically or in other ways), if they
. . .” “. . . try marijuana once or twice,” for example.
The answer categories are “no risk,” “slight risk,”
“moderate risk,” “great risk,” and “can’t say, drug
unfamiliar.”
3
Disapproval is measured by the question “Do YOU
disapprove of people doing each of the following?”
followed by “trying marijuana once or twice,” for
example. Answer categories are “don’t disapprove,”
“disapprove,” and “strongly disapprove.” In the 8thand 10th-grade questionnaires, a fourth category—
“can’t say, drug unfamiliar”—is provided and
included in the calculations.
4
Perceived availability is measured by the question
“How difficult do you think it would be for you to get
each of the following types of drugs, if you wanted
some?” Answer categories are “probably impossible,”
“very difficult,” “fairly difficult,” “fairly easy,” and
“very easy.” For 8th and 10th graders, an additional
answer category—“can’t say, drug unfamiliar”—is
offered and included in the calculations.
Summary of Key Findings
One important finding of the MTF study is that cohort
effects—lasting differences between different cohorts
entering secondary school—have emerged, beginning
with increases in drug use during the early 1990s.
Such cohort effects mean that usage rates (and
sometimes attitudes and beliefs about various drugs)
reach peaks and valleys in different years for different
grades. We have seen such cohort effects for cigarette
smoking throughout most of the life of the study, but
they were much less evident for illicit drugs until the
mid-1990s. Since then, 8th graders have tended to be
the first to show turnarounds in illicit drug use, and
have generally shown the greatest proportional
declines from recent peak levels of use, attained for
the most part during the 1990s, while the proportional
declines have generally been smallest among 12th
graders.
In 2008, we introduced a set of tables providing an
overview of drug use trends for the three grades
combined. While there are important differences by
grade, this approach gives a more succinct summary
of the general nature of historical trends over the last
several years (Tables 1–4). Later sections in this
monograph deal separately with each class of drugs
and provide data for each grade individually.
A number of interesting findings emerged from the
2011 survey, relating in particular to the three
substances most widely used by adolescents—
cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. We begin by
discussing marijuana and two other illegal drugs of
concern, then return to cigarettes and alcohol.
Marijuana use, which had been rising among teens
for the past three years, continued to rise in 2011 in all
prevalence periods for 10th and 12th graders. The
recent rise in use stands in stark contrast to the long,
gradual decline that had been occurring over the
preceding decade. (Among 8th graders there was
some decrease in annual prevalence in 2011 although
annual prevalence has been rising overall since
2004.). It is relevant that perceived risk for marijuana
has been falling for the past five years, and
disapproval declined for the past three to four years.
(The decline in perceived risk in particular may be
related to the increased public discussions concerning
medical marijuana.) Of particular importance, daily
marijuana use increased significantly in all three
grades in 2010, rising further in all three grades in
2011, though the one-year increase was not
statistically significant. Daily use now stands at 1.3%,
3.6%, and 6.6% in grades 8, 10, and 12. That means
that roughly one in fifteen high school seniors today is
a current daily, or near-daily, marijuana user.
Synthetic marijuana, which goes by such names as
Spice and K-2, is an herbal drug mixture that usually
contains designer chemicals that fall into the
cannibinoid family. Until March of 2011 these drugs
were not scheduled by the Drug Enforcement
Administration, so they were readily available on the
internet and in head shops, gas stations, etc. The DEA
did schedule them under its emergency authority for
one year, beginning March 1, 2011, making their
possession and sale no longer legal. MTF first
addressed the use of synthetic marijuana in its 2011
survey, asking 12th graders about use in the prior 12
months, which would have covered a considerable
period of time prior to the drugs being scheduled.
Some 11.4% indicated use in the prior 12 months.
Next year’s survey results should reflect any effects of
the scheduling by the DEA.
Ecstasy. After a decline of several years in perceived
risk and disapproval of ecstasy use—which we had
been warning could presage a rebound in use—
ecstasy use does now appear to be rebounding,
primarily among the older teens.
Alcohol use, including binge drinking, continued its
longer term decline among teens, reaching historically
low levels in 2011 in all three grades under study. Use
has been in a long-term pattern of decline since about
1980, with the interruption of a few years in the early
1990s during which alcohol use increased along with
the use of cigarettes and almost all illicit drugs.
Among 12th graders in 1981, 41% reported having
five or more drinks in a row on at least one occasion
in the two weeks prior to the survey (sometimes
called binge drinking). This statistic fell to 28% by
1992, prior to the rebound in the 1990s, but has now
fallen even further, reaching 22% in 2011—a decline
of nearly one half since 1981.
Cigarettes. After decelerating considerably in recent
years, the long-term decline in cigarette use, which
began in the mid-1990s, appeared to come to a halt in
5
the lower grades in 2010. Indeed, both 8th and 10th
graders showed evidence of a slight increase in
smoking in 2010, though the increases did not reach
statistical significance. Perceived risk and
subsequently disapproval had both leveled off some
years ago. In 2011, however, the decline in teen
smoking resumed in the lower grades (there was a
significant drop in use among the 10th graders) and
also continued among 12th graders. Perceived risk
and disapproval rose in all three grades, significantly
for both among 10th graders. Availability also
dropped significantly among 8th and 10th graders but
more than half of the 8th graders and nearly three
quarters of the 10th graders still say it would be
“fairly easy” or “very easy” for them to get cigarettes
if they wanted some.
Use of any illicit drug. Because marijuana is by far
the most prevalent drug included in the any illicit drug
use index, an increase in prevalence occurred for that
index in 2011, as well as for marijuana for the two
upper grades. The proportions using any illicit drug
other than marijuana had been declining gradually
since about 2001, but no further decline occurred in
2010 and only slight (non-significant) declines
occurred in 2011 for 8th and 10th graders; the 2011
levels are similar to the 2008 levels.
Other Drugs Declining in Use
Several other drugs showed signs of decreased use in
2011. These include: inhalants, cocaine powder,
crack cocaine, the narcotic drug Vicodin, the
amphetamine Adderall, sedatives, tranquilizers, and
over-the-counter cough and cold medicines used to
get high.
Inhalants. The annual prevalence of inhalant use fell
in all grades in 2011 (significantly so in 8th and 10th
grades), continuing modest declines occurring since
the mid-2000s. This is surprising in light of the fact
that perceived risk for inhalant use fell considerably
among 8th and 10th graders from 2001 through 2008
before leveling, which we have interpreted as
generational forgetting of the risks of inhalant use.
Usually, when this occurs, there is a resurgence in
use; but for whatever reason, such a resurgence has
not yet occurred. (Twelfth graders are not asked about
perceived risk for this drug.)
Powdered cocaine use continued gradual declines in
8th and 10th grades in 2011, while use among 12th
6
graders leveled. All three grades are at their lowest
levels of use since recent peak years. Use of crack
continued to decline in 2011 with a significant decline
among 12th graders. In 2011 Vicodin, the most
widely used of the narcotic drugs, continued to
decline among 8th graders, declined significantly
among 10th graders but showed no further decline
among 12th graders. Use of Adderall, the most widely
used amphetamine and a drug used in the treatment of
ADHD, declined in the lower grades and there was no
further change among 12th graders. Sedative
(barbiturates) use, which is reported only for 12th
graders, continued its slow, non-significant decline in
2011. Tranquilizer use declined significantly for 8th
graders but only slightly for 10th graders. There was
no further change among 12th graders, but they
remain at their lowest point in 12 years. The misuse of
over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines
to get high dropped some for 8th graders, increased a
bit for 10th graders and dropped significantly for 12th
graders. These OTC drugs usually contain the cough
suppresant dextromethorphan, which can have
hallucinogenic effects when taken in large quantities.
Drugs Holding Steady in 2011
Use of drugs in several categories held fairly steady in
2011. These included an index of the use of any illicit
drug other than marijuana, LSD, hallucinogens
other than LSD, salvia, heroin used with and without
a needle, narcotics other than heroin, OxyContin
specifically, amphetamines (and Ritalin specifically),
several so-called “club drugs” (Rohypnol, GHB, and
Ketamine), methamphetamine, crystal methamphetamine, Provigil (a stay-awake drug), and
anabolic steroids. Use of most of these drugs is well
below their recent peak levels attained in the past 15
years. Two exceptions are “any prescription drug”
and salvia. While the proportion of students using any
illicit drug has increased in the upper grades this year,
due primarily to the rise in marijuana use, the
proportion using any of the other illicit drugs held
steady and may have even declined slightly in the
lower grades. One group of drugs that is not down
much from peak levels is narcotics other than
heroin; their continued high rate of use is a disturbing
finding.
The psychotherapeutic drugs now make up a larger
part of the overall U.S. drug problem than was true
10–15 years ago, in part because use increased for
many prescription drugs over that period, and in part
because use of a number of street drugs has declined
substantially since the mid-1990s. It seems likely that
young people are less concerned about the dangers of
using these prescription drugs outside of medical
regimen, likely because they are widely used for
legitimate purposes. (Indeed, the low levels of
perceived risk for sedatives and amphetamines
observed among 12th graders illustrate this point.)
Also, prescription psychotherapeutic drugs are now
being advertised directly to the consumer, which
implies both that they are widely used and safe to use.
Fortunately, the use of most of these drugs has either
leveled or begun to decline in the past few years. The
proportion of 12th graders misusing any of these
prescription drugs (i.e., amphetamines, sedatives,
tranquilizers, or narcotics other than heroin) in the
prior year has leveled at 15.2%—about where it has
been since 2008 and down slightly from 17.1% in
2005.
Implications for Prevention
The wide divergence in historical trajectories of the
various drugs over time helps to illustrate that, to a
considerable degree, the determinants of use are often
specific to each drug. These determinants include both
perceived benefits and perceived adverse outcomes
that young people come to associate with each drug.
Unfortunately, word of the supposed benefits of using
a drug usually spreads much faster than information
about the adverse consequences. Supposed benefits
take only rumor and a few testimonials, the spread of
which have been hastened and expanded greatly by
the media and Internet. It usually takes much longer
for the evidence of adverse consequences (e.g., death,
disease, overdose, addiction) to cumulate and then be
disseminated. Thus, when a new drug comes onto the
scene, it has a considerable grace period during which
its benefits are alleged and its consequences are not
yet known. We believe that ecstasy illustrated this
dynamic. Synthetic marijuana and so-called “bath
salts” are two more recent examples where evidence
of adverse outcomes is only beginning to catch up to
the push that these drugs have received through the
Internet and the media.
To a considerable degree, prevention must occur drug
by drug, because people will not necessarily
generalize the adverse consequences of one drug to
the use of others. Many beliefs and attitudes held by
young people are drug specific. The figures in this
Overview on perceived risk and disapproval for the
various drugs—attitudes and beliefs that we have
shown to be important in explaining many drug trends
over the years—amply illustrate this assertion. These
attitudes and beliefs are at quite different levels for the
various drugs and, more importantly, often trend quite
differently over time.
“Generational Forgetting” Helps Keep the
Drug Epidemic Going
Another point worth keeping in mind is that there
tends to be a continuous flow of new drugs onto the
scene and of older ones being rediscovered by young
people. Many drugs have made a comeback years
after they first fell from popularity, often because
knowledge among youth of their adverse
consequences faded as generational replacement took
place. We call this process “generational forgetting.”
Examples include LSD and methamphetamine, two
drugs used widely in the 1960s that made a comeback
in the 1990s after their initial popularity faded as a
result of their adverse consequences becoming widely
recognized during periods of high use. Heroin,
cocaine, PCP, and crack are some others that have
followed a similar pattern. At present, LSD,
inhalants, and ecstasy are all showing some effects of
generational forgetting—that is, perceived risk has
declined appreciably for those drugs—which puts
future cohorts at greater risk of having a resurgence in
use. In the case of LSD, perceived risk among 8th
graders has declined appreciably and more are saying
that they are not familiar with the drug. It would
appear that a resurgence in availability (which
declined very sharply after about 2001, most likely
due to the FDA closing a major lab in 2000) could
generate another increase in use.
As for newly emerging drugs, examples include
nitrite inhalants and PCP in the 1970s; crack and
crystal methamphetamine in the 1980s; Rohypnol,
GHB, and ecstasy in the 1990s; dextromethorphan,
salvia and synthetic marijuana in the 2000s, and “bath
salts” more recently. The frequent introduction of new
drugs (or new forms or new modes of administration
of older drugs, as illustrated by crack, crystal methamphetamine, and noninjected heroin) helps keep this
nation’s drug problem alive. Because of the lag times
described previously, the forces of containment are
always playing catch-up with the forces of
encouragement and exploitation. Organized efforts to
reduce the grace period experienced by new drugs
7
would seem to be among the most promising
responses for minimizing the damage they will cause.
Such efforts regarding ecstasy by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse and others appeared to pay
off.
Cigarettes and Alcohol
The findings concerning use of the licit drugs—
cigarettes and alcohol—remain a basis for
considerable concern.
Cigarettes. Four in every ten American young people
(40%) have tried cigarettes by 12th grade, and nearly
one in five (19%) 12th graders is a current smoker.
(These proportions would be higher if high school
dropouts were included in the study’s coverage.) Even
as early as 8th grade, nearly one in five (18%) has
tried cigarettes, and 1 in 16 (6%) has already become
a current smoker. Fortunately, there has been some
real improvement in these statistics since the mid- to
late 1990s, following a dramatic increase in
adolescent smoking earlier in the 1990s. Some of the
improvement was simply regaining lost ground;
however, in 2011, cigarette use reached the lowest
levels recorded in the life of the MTF study, going
back over 36 years in the case of 12th graders and 20
years in the case of 8th and 10th graders.
Thirty-day prevalence of cigarette use reached a peak
in 1996 at grades 8 and 10, capping a rapid climb
from the 1991 levels (when data were first gathered
on these grades). Between 1996 and 2011, current
smoking fell considerably in these grades (by 71%
and 61%, respectively). However, the decline in use
had decelerated in recent years, and in 2010 there was
evidence of some increase in smoking rates among
8th and 10th graders (though not statistically
significant). In 2011 use decreased among 8th graders
and decreased significantly for 10th graders. For 12th
graders, peak use occurred a year later, in 1997, and
has since shown a more modest decline, dropping to
19.2% by 2010 and then to 18.7% in 2011. Because
of the strong cohort effect that we have consistently
observed for cigarette smoking, we expect use at 12th
grade to continue to show declines, as the lighter
using cohorts of 8th and 10th graders become 12th
graders. Overall increases in perceived risk and
disapproval appear to have contributed to the
downturn. Perceived risk increased substantially and
steadily in all grades from 1995 through 2004, after
which it leveled in 8th and 10th grades; however, it
8
continued rising in 12th grade until 2006, after which
it leveled and then declined some in 2008.
Disapproval of smoking had been rising steadily in all
grades since 1996. After 2004, the rise decelerated in
the lower grades through 2006—again, reflecting a
cohort effect in this attitude. All three grades showed
an increase in perceived risk and in disapproval in
2011. (The increases for both measures were
significant for 10th graders.)
It seems likely that some of the attitudinal change
surrounding cigarettes is attributable to the adverse
publicity suffered by the tobacco industry in the
1990s, as well as a reduction in cigarette advertising
and an increase in antismoking advertising reaching
children.
Various other attitudes toward smoking became more
unfavorable during that interval, as well, though some
have since leveled off. For example, among 8th
graders, the proportions saying that they “prefer to
date people who don’t smoke” rose from 71% in 1996
to 81% by 2004, about where it remains in 2011.
Similar changes occurred in 10th and 12th grades, as
well. Thus, at the present time, smoking is likely to
make an adolescent less attractive to the great
majority of potential romantic partners. However,
most of the negative connotations of smoking and
smokers have leveled off in the past few years. In
addition to changes in attitudes and beliefs about
smoking, price likely also played an important role in
the decline in use. Cigarette prices rose appreciably in
the late 1990s and early 2000s as cigarette companies
tried to cover the costs of the tobacco settlement, and
as many states increased excise taxes on cigarettes.
Smokeless tobacco use had also been in decline for
some years, continuing into the early 2000s, but the
decline ended in all grades by about 2007. Indeed, the
30-day prevalence rates for smokeless tobacco were
down by about half from peak levels, but all grades
showed an increase in use from about 1997 through
2009, before leveling in 2011. Appreciable increases
in both perceived risk and disapproval in prior years
likely contributed to the decline in use, but then they
both showed a small reversal for a couple of years. In
2011 both measures increased at all grades except for
perceived risk among 8th graders.
Alcohol remains the most widely used drug by
today’s teenagers. Despite recent declining rates,
seven out of every ten students (70%) have consumed
alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high
school, and one third (33%) has done so by 8th grade.
In fact, half (51%) of 12th graders and more than one
sixth (15%) of 8th graders in 2011 report having been
drunk at least once in their life.
Alcohol use began a substantial decline in the 1980s.
To a considerable degree, alcohol trends have tended
to parallel the trends in illicit drug use. These include
a modest increase in binge drinking (defined as
having five or more drinks in a row at least once in
the past two weeks) in the early and mid-1990s,
though it was a proportionally smaller increase than
was seen for cigarettes and most of the illicit drugs.
Fortunately, binge drinking rates leveled off eight to
eleven years ago, just about when the illicit drug rates
began to turn around, and in 2002 a drop in drinking
and drunkenness resumed in all grades. Gradual
declines continued into 2011, and we are now seeing
the study’s lowest rates of teen drinking and
drunkeness in all three grades.
The longer term trend data available for 12th graders
show that alcohol usage rates, and binge drinking in
particular, are now substantially below peak levels
measured in the early 1980s.
9
Any Illicit Drug
Monitoring the Future routinely reports three different
indexes of illicit drug use—“any illicit drug,” “any
illicit drug other than marijuana,” and “any illicit drug
including inhalants.”5 In this section we discuss only
the first two; the statistics for all three may be found
in Tables 5–7.
In order to make comparisons over time, we have kept
the definitions of these indexes constant. Levels are
little affected by the inclusion of newer substances,
primarily because most individuals using them are
also using the more prevalent drugs included in the
indexes. The major exception has been inhalants, the
use of which is quite prevalent in the lower grades, so
in 1991 a special index was added that includes
inhalants.
Trends in Use
In the late 20th century, young Americans reached
extraordinarily high levels of illicit drug use by U.S.
as well as international standards. The trends in
lifetime use of any illicit drug are given in the first
panel on the facing page.6 In 1975, when MTF began,
the majority of young people (55%) had used an illicit
drug by the time they left high school. This figure rose
to two thirds (66%) in 1981 before a long and gradual
decline to 41% in 1992—the low point. After 1992
the proportion rose considerably, reaching a recent
high point of 55% in 1999; it then declined gradually
to 47% in 2007 through 2009, before rising to 50% in
2011 as marijuana use has been rising again.
Trends for annual, as opposed to lifetime, prevalence
appear in the second (upper right) panel. They are
quite parallel to those for lifetime prevalence, but at a
lower level. Among 8th graders, a gradual and
continuing falloff occurred after 1996. Peak rates
since 1991 were reached in 1997 in the two upper
grades and declined little for several years. Between
2001 and 2007 all three grades showed declines, but
annual use rates in all three grades have risen since
5
Footnote “a” to Tables 5 through 8 provides the exact definition of “any illicit
drug.”
6
This is the only set of figures in this Overview presenting lifetime use statistics.
For other drugs, lifetime statistics may be found in Table 5.
10
then except for 8th grade in 2011. Because marijuana
is much more prevalent than any other illicit drug,
trends in its use tend to drive the index of any illicit
drug use. Thus we also report an index that excludes
marijuana, and shows the proportions of students who
use the other, so-called “harder” illicit drugs. The
proportions who have used any illicit drug other than
marijuana in their lifetime are shown in the third panel
(lower left). In 1975 over one third (36%) of 12th
graders had tried some illicit drug other than
marijuana. This figure rose to 43% by 1981, then
declined for a long period to a low of 25% in 1992.
Some increase followed in the 1990s as the use of a
number of drugs rose steadily, and it reached 30% by
1997. (In 2001 it was 31%, but this apparent upward
shift in the estimate was an artifact due to a change in
the question wording for “other hallucinogens” and
tranquilizers.7) Lifetime prevalence among 12th
graders then fell slightly, to 25% in 2011. The fourth
panel presents the annual prevalence data for any
illicit drug other than marijuana, which shows a
pattern of change over the past few years similar to
the index of any illicit drug use, but with much less
pronounced change since 1991. It leveled in all three
grades in 2010 and then dropped slightly in the two
lower grades in 2011.
Overall, these data reveal that, while use of individual
drugs (other than marijuana) may fluctuate widely, the
proportion using any of them is much more stable. In
other words, the proportion of students prone to using
such drugs and willing to cross the normative barriers
to such use changes more gradually. The usage rate
for each individual drug, on the other hand, reflects
many more rapidly changing determinants specific to
that drug: how widely its psychoactive potential is
recognized, how favorable the reports of its supposed
benefits are, how risky its use is seen to be, how
acceptable it is in the peer group, how accessible it is,
and so on.
7
The term “psychedelics” was replaced with “hallucinogens,” and “shrooms”
was added to the list of examples, resulting in somewhat more respondents
indicating use of this class of drugs. For tranquilizers, Xanax was added to the
list of examples given, slightly raising the reported prevalence of use.
Any Illicit Drug : Trends in Lifetime and Annual Use
Grades 8, 10, 12
% who used any illicit drug in lifetime
% who used any illicit drug in last 12 months
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
80
100
40
20
60
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
% who used any illicit drug other than
marijuana in last 12 months*
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
% who used any illicit drug other than
marijuana in lifetime*
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
*Beginning in 2001, a revised set of questions on other hallucinogen use and tranquilizer use were introduced. Data
for "any illicit drug other than marijuana" were affected by these changes.
11
Marijuana
Marijuana has been the most widely used illicit drug
throughout MTF’s 37 year history. It can be taken
orally, mixed with food, and smoked in a
concentrated form as hashish—the use of which is
much more common in Europe. The great majority of
consumption in the U.S. involves smoking it in rolled
cigarettes (“joints”), in pipes or water pipes, or in
hollowed-out cigars (“blunts”).
Trends in Use
Annual marijuana prevalence peaked among 12th
graders in 1979 at 51%, following a rise that began
during the 1960s. Then use declined fairly steadily for
13 years, bottoming at 22% in 1992—a decline of
more than half. The 1990s, however, saw a
resurgence of use. After a considerable increase (one
that actually began among 8th graders a year earlier
than among 10th and 12th graders), annual prevalence
rates peaked in 1996 at 8th grade and in 1997 at 10th
and 12th grades. After these peak years, use declined
among all three grades through 2006, 2007, or 2008;
since then there has been an upturn in use in all three
grades, indicating another possible resurgence in use
although in 2011 there was some decline in use
among 8th graders. In 2010 there was a significant
increase in daily use in all three grades, followed by a
nonsignificant increase in 2011 reaching 1.3%, 3.6%,
and 6.6% in grades 8, 10, and 12, respectively. The
rate for 12th graders is the highest rate since 1981,
when it was 7.0%.
Perceived Risk
The proportion of students seeing great risk from
using marijuana regularly fell during the rise in use in
the 1970s, and again during the subsequent rise in the
1990s. Indeed, at 10th and 12th grades, perceived risk
declined a year before use rose in the upturn of the
1990s, making perceived risk a leading indicator of
12
change in use. (The same may have happened at 8th
grade as well, but we lack data starting early enough
to know.) The decline in perceived risk halted in 1996
in 8th and 10th grades; the increases in use ended a
year or two later, again making perceived risk a
leading indicator. From 1996 to 2000, perceived risk
held fairly steady and the decline in use in the upper
grades stalled. After some decline prior to 2002,
perceived risk increased in all grades through 2004 as
use decreased. Perceived risk fell after 2004 and 2005
in 8th and 12th grades respectively, (and since 2008 in
10th grade) presaging the more recent increase in use.
In 2011 perceived risk continued to decline in grades
10 and 12 and leveled in grade 8.
Disapproval
Personal disapproval of trying marijuana use fell
considerably among 8th graders between 1991 and
1996 and among 10th and 12th graders between 1992
and 1997—by 17, 21, and 19 percentage points,
respectively, over those intervals of increasing use.
After that there was some modest increase in
disapproval among 8th graders, but not much among
10th and 12th graders until 2004, when the lower
grades showed increases. From 2003 to 2007 (2008 in
the case of 10th graders) disapproval increased in all
three grades, but has declined some since then as use
rose.
Availability
Ever since the MTF study began in 1975, between
81% and 90% of 12th graders each year have said that
they could get marijuana fairly easily or very easily if
they wanted some. It has been considerably less
accessible to younger adolescents. Still, in 2011 38%
of 8th graders, 68% of 10th graders, and 82% of 12th
graders reported it as being fairly or very easy to get.
It thus seems clear that marijuana has remained a
highly accessible drug.
Marijuana: Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using regularly
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
80
100
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using regularly
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
13
Inhalants
Inhalants are any gases or fumes that can be inhaled
for the purpose of getting high. These include many
household products—the sale and possession of
which is legal—including glue, nail polish remover,
gasoline, solvents, butane, and propellants used in
certain commercial products such as whipped cream
dispensers. Unlike nearly all other classes of drugs,
their use is most common among younger adolescents
and tends to decline as youth grow older. The use of
inhalants at an early age may reflect the fact that
many inhalants are cheap, readily available (often in
the home), and legal to buy and possess. The decline
in use with age likely reflects their coming to be seen
as “kids’ drugs,” in addition to the fact that a number
of other drugs become available to older adolescents,
who are also more able to afford them.
Trends in Use
According to the long-term data from 12th graders,
inhalant use (excluding the use of nitrite inhalants)
rose gradually from 1976 to 1987, which was
somewhat unusual as most other forms of illicit drug
use were in decline during the 1980s. Use rose among
8th and 10th graders from 1991, when data were first
gathered on them, through 1995; it rose among 12th
graders from 1992 to 1995. All grades then exhibited
a fairly steady and substantial decline in use through
2001 or 2002. After 2001 the grades diverged
somewhat in their trends: 8th graders showed a
significant increase in use for two years, followed by
a decline from 2004 to 2007; 10th graders showed an
increase after 2002 but some decline since 2007
including a significant decrease in 2011; 12th graders
showed some increase from 2003 to 2005, but a
decline since then.
Perceived Risk
Only 8th and 10th graders have been asked questions
about the degree of risk they associate with inhalant
14
use. Relatively low proportions think that there is a
“great risk” in using an inhalant once or twice.
However, significant increases in this belief were
observed between 1995 and 1996 in both 8th and 10th
grades, probably due to an anti-inhalant advertising
initiative launched by The Partnership for a Drug-Free
America at that time. That increase in perceived risk
marked the beginning of a long and important decline
in inhalant use, and no other drugs showed a
turnaround in use at that point. However, the degree
of risk associated with inhalant use declined steadily
between 2001 and 2008 among both 8th and 10th
graders, perhaps explaining the turnaround in use in
2003 among 8th graders and in 2004 in the upper
grades. The hazards of inhalant use were
communicated during the mid-1990s; but a
generational forgetting of those hazards has likely
been taking place, as replacement cohorts who were
too young to get that earlier message have entered
adolescence. The decline in perceived risk is
worrisome, though the decline did halt as of 2008, and
perceived risk has not changed much since then. In
this case, the decline in perceived risk (between 2002
and 2008) did not translated into a surge in use.
Disapproval
Over 80% of students say that they would disapprove
of even trying an inhalant. There was a very gradual
upward drift in this attitude among 8th and 10th
graders from 1995 through about 2001, with a gradual
falloff since then among 8th graders. Among 10th
graders there was some decrease after 2004 but the
decline halted after 2007.
Availability
Respondents have not been asked about the
availability of inhalants. It seems reasonable to
assume that these substances are universally available
to young people in these age ranges.
Inhalants: Trends in Annual Use, Risk, and Disapproval
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
30
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
18
PERCENT
PERCENT
24
12
6
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
(no data)
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
15
LSD
For some years, LSD was the most widely used drug
within the larger class of hallucinogens. This is no
longer true, due to sharp decreases in its use combined
with an increasing use of psilocybin. (Statistics on
overall hallucinogen use and on use of hallucinogens
other than LSD are shown in the tables at the end of
this report.)
Trends in Use
Annual prevalence of LSD use among 12th graders
has been below 10% since MTF began. Use declined
some for the first 10 years among 12th graders, likely
continuing a decline that had begun before 1975. Use
was fairly level in the latter half of the 1980s but, as
was true for a number of other drugs, rose in all three
grades between 1991 and 1996. Between 1996 and
2006 or so, use declined in all three grades, with
particularly sharp declines between 2001 and 2003.
Since then use has remained at historically low levels.
Perceived Risk
We think it likely that perceived risk for LSD use
increased during the early 1970s, before MTF began,
as concerns grew about possible neurological and
genetic effects (most of which were never
scientifically confirmed) as well as “bad trips” and
“flashbacks.” However, there was some decline in
perceived risk in the late 1970s, after which it
remained fairly level among 12th graders through
most of the 1980s. A substantial decline occurred in
all grades in the early 1990s, as use rose. Since about
2000, perceived risk has declined steadily and
substantially among 8th graders, declined
considerably among 10th graders before leveling in
2011, but held fairly steady among 12th graders
through 2009 before dropping a bit. The decline in the
lower grades suggests that younger teens are less
knowledgeable about this drug’s effects than their
predecessors—through what we have called
“generational forgetting”—making them vulnerable
to a resurgence in use.
The decline of LSD use in recent years, despite a fall
in perceived risk, suggests that some factors other
than a change in underlying attitudes and beliefs were
contributing to the downturn—prior to 2001 some
16
displacement by ecstasy may have been a factor,
while more recently a decline in availability
(discussed below) likely is a factor.
Disapproval
Disapproval of LSD use was quite high among 12th
graders through most of the 1980s, but began to
decline after 1991 along with perceived risk. All three
grades exhibited a decline in disapproval through
1996, with disapproval of experimentation dropping
11 percentage points between 1991 and 1996 among
12th graders. After 1996 a slight increase in
disapproval emerged among 12th graders,
accompanied by a leveling among 10th graders and
some further decline among 8th graders. Since 2001,
disapproval of LSD use has diverged among the three
grades, declining considerably among 8th graders,
declining less among 10th graders, and increasing
significantly among 12th graders. Note, however, that
the percentages of 8th and 10th graders who respond
with “can’t say, drug unfamiliar” increased over the
years (a finding consistent with the notion that
generational forgetting has been occurring); thus the
base for disapproval has shrunk, suggesting that the
real decline of disapproval among the younger
students is less than it appears here. Regardless of
these diverging trends, use fell sharply in all grades
before leveling in 2004, with little change since then.
Availability
Reported availability of LSD by 12th graders fell
considerably from 1975 to 1979, declined a bit further
until 1986, and then began a substantial rise, reaching
a peak in 1995. LSD availability also rose somewhat
among 8th and 10th graders in the early 1990s,
reaching a peak in 1995 or 1996. Since those peak
years, there has been considerable falloff in
availability in all three grades, including a significant
decrease for 10th graders in 2011—quite possibly in
part because fewer students have LSD-using friends
from whom they could gain access. There was also
very likely a decrease in supply due to the closing of a
major LSD-producing lab by the Drug Enforcement
Administration in 2000. It is clear that attitudinal
changes cannot explain the recent declines in use.
LSD: Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
30
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
18
PERCENT
PERCENT
24
12
6
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
17
Cocaine
Cocaine was used almost exclusively in powder form
for some years, though “freebasing” emerged for a
while. Then the early 1980s brought the advent of
crack cocaine. Our original questions did not
distinguish among different forms of cocaine or
modes of administration. Since 1987, though, we have
asked separate questions about the use of crack and
“cocaine other than crack,” which has consisted
almost entirely of powder cocaine use. Data on
overall cocaine use are presented in the figures in this
section, and results for crack alone are presented in
the next section.
Trends in Use
There have been some important changes in the levels
of overall cocaine use over the life of MTF. Use
among 12th graders originally burgeoned in the late
1970s and remained fairly stable through the first half
of the 1980s before starting a precipitous decline after
1986. Annual prevalence among 12th graders dropped
by about three quarters between 1986 and 1992.
Between 1992 and 1999, use reversed course again
and doubled before declining by 2000. Use also rose
among 8th and 10th graders after 1992 before
reaching recent peak levels in 1998 and 1999. Over
the last decade, use declined in all three grades; 12thgrade use stands at an historical low at just 2.9% in
2011, with use by 8th and 10th graders still lower.
Perceived Risk
General questions about the dangers of cocaine have
been asked only of 12th graders. The results tell a fascinating story. They show that perceived risk for experimental use fell in the latter half of the 1970s
(when use was rising), stayed level in the first half of
the 1980s (when use was level), and then jumped very
sharply in a single year (by 14 percentage points between 1986 and 1987), just when the substantial decline in use began. The year 1986 was marked by a
national media frenzy over crack cocaine and also by
the widely publicized cocaine-related death of Len
Bias, a National Basketball Association first-round
draft pick. Bias’ death was originally reported as resulting from his first experience with cocaine. Though
that was later proven to be incorrect, the message had
already “taken.” We believe that this event helped to
persuade many young people that use of cocaine at
any level is dangerous, no matter how healthy the individual.8 Perceived risk continued to rise through
1991 as the fall in use continued. From 1991 to 2000,
perceived risk declined modestly. Perceived risk has
leveled in recent years at far higher levels than existed
prior to 1987, and there is as yet little evidence of generational forgetting of cocaine’s risks—at least
among the 12th graders.
Disapproval
Questions about disapproval of cocaine have been
asked only of 12th graders. Disapproval of cocaine
use by 12th graders followed a cross-time pattern
similar to that for perceived risk, although its sevenpercentage-point jump in 1987 was not quite as
pronounced. There was some decline from 1991 to
1997, followed by a period of stability. In recent years
there has been a slight drift upwards in disapproval.
Availability
The proportion of 12th graders saying that it would be
“fairly easy” or “very easy” for them to get cocaine if
they wanted some was 33% in 1977, rose to 48% by
1980 as use rose, and held fairly level through 1982;
then, after a one-year drop, it increased steadily to
59% by 1989 (in a period of rapidly declining use).
Perceived availability then fell back to about 47% by
1994. After 2007 it dropped significantly and stands
at 31% in 2011. Note that the pattern of change does
not map well onto the pattern of actual use, suggesting
that changes in overall availability have not been a
major determinant of use—particularly during the
sharp decline in use in the late 1980s. The advent of
crack cocaine in the early 1980s, however, provided a
lower cost form of cocaine, thus reducing the prior
social class differences in use.
8
Trends in perceived risk in Table 11 show a particularly sharp rise from 34% in
1986 to 48% in 1987 for trying cocaine once or twice.
18
Cocaine (including Crack) : Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
20
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
12
PERCENT
PERCENT
16
8
4
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
19
Crack
Several indirect indicators suggest that crack use grew
rapidly in the period 1983–1986, beginning before we
had direct measures of its use. In 1986 a single usage
question was included in one of the five 12th-grade
questionnaire forms, asking those who indicated any
cocaine use in the prior 12 months if they had used
crack. The results from that question represent the
first data point in the first panel on the facing page.
After that, we introduced into several questionnaire
forms three questions about crack use covering our
usual three prevalence periods.
Trends in Use
Clearly crack use rose rapidly in the early 1980s,
judging by the 4% prevalence reached in 1986; but,
after 1986 there was a precipitous drop in crack use
among 12th graders—a drop that continued through
1991. After 1991 for 8th and 10th graders (when data
were first available) and after 1993 for 12th graders,
all three grades showed a slow, steady increase in use
through 1998. Since then, annual prevalence dropped
by roughly six tenths in all three grades. As with
many drugs, the decline at 12th grade lagged behind
those in the lower grades due to a cohort effect.
Perceived Risk
By the time we added questions about the perceived
risk of using crack in 1987, crack was already seen by
12th graders as one of the most dangerous illicit
drugs: 57% saw a great risk in even trying it. This
compared to 54% for heroin, for example. (See the
previous section on cocaine for a discussion of
changes in perceived risk in 1986.) Perceived risk for
crack rose still higher through 1990, reaching 64% of
12th graders who said they thought there was a great
risk in taking crack once or twice. (Use was dropping
during that interval.) After 1990 some falloff in
perceived risk began, well before crack use began to
increase in 1994. Thus, here again, perceived risk was
a leading indicator. Between 1991 and 1998 there was
a considerable falloff in this belief in grades 8 and 10,
as use rose quite steadily. Perceived risk leveled in
2000 in grades 8 and 12 and a year later in grade 10.
We think that the declines in perceived risk for crack
and cocaine during the 1990s may well reflect an
example of generational forgetting, wherein the class
cohorts that were in adolescence when the adverse
consequences were most obvious (i.e., in the mid20
1980s) were replaced by newer cohorts who had
heard much less about the dangers of this drug as they
were growing up; nevertheless, it is still seen as a
relatively dangerous drug.
Disapproval
Disapproval of crack use was not included in the
MTF study until 1990, by which time it was also at a
very high level, with 92% of 12th graders saying that
they disapproved of even trying it. Disapproval of
crack use declined slightly but steadily in all three
grades from 1991 through about 1997. After a brief
period of stability, disapproval increased some, but is
now level.
Availability
Crack availability did not change dramatically across
most of the interval for which data are available, as
the fourth panel on the facing page illustrates. Eighth
and 10th graders reported some modest increase in
availability in the early 1990s. This was followed by a
slow, steady decrease from 1995 through 2004 in 8th
grade (followed by a leveling) and sharper drops
among 10th and 12th graders beginning in 1999 and
2000, respectively. Since 2007, availability has
declined, particularly in the upper grades.
NOTE: The distinction between crack cocaine and
other forms of cocaine (mostly powder) was made
several years after the study’s inception. The
figures on the facing page begin their trend lines
when these distinctions were introduced for the
different types of measures. Figures are not
presented here for the “other forms of cocaine”
measures, simply because the trend curves look
extremely similar to those for crack. (All statistics
are contained in the tables presented later.)
Although the trends are very similar, the absolute
levels of use, risk, etc., are somewhat different.
Usage levels tend to be higher for cocaine powder
compared to crack, and the levels of perceived risk
a bit lower, while disapproval has been close for
the two different forms of cocaine and availability
has been somewhat lower for crack.
Crack: Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
10
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
6
PERCENT
PERCENT
8
4
2
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
21
Amphetamines
Amphetamines, a class of psychotherapeutic stimulants, had a relatively high prevalence of use in the
youth population for many years. The behavior
reported here excludes any use under medical
supervision. Amphetamines are controlled substances—they cannot be bought or sold without a
doctor’s prescription—but some are diverted from
legitimate channels, and some are manufactured
and/or imported illegally.
Trends in Use
The use of amphetamines rose in the last half of the
1970s, reaching a peak in 1981—two years after marijuana use peaked. We believe that the usage rate
reached among 12th graders in 1981 (annual prevalence of 26%) may have been an exaggeration of true
amphetamine use because “look-alikes” were in
common use at that time. After 1981 a long and
steady decline in 12th graders’ use of amphetamines
began, and ended in 1992.
As with many other illicit drugs, amphetamines made
a comeback in the 1990s. Use peaked in the lower
two grades by 1996. Since then, use declined steadily
in 8th grade and sporadically in 10th grade. Only after
2002 did it begin to decline in 12th grade. The decline
in 8th grade paused in 2008, but has since continued.
In 10th grade there was a pause in the decline in 2009
and 2010, but the decline resumed in 2011. In 12th
grade there has been a reversal of the decline since
2009. Since the recent peaks in use, annual prevalence
is down by about six tenths in 8th grade, by about half
in 10th grade, and by about one fourth in 12th grade.
Perceived Risk
Only 12th graders are asked about the amount of risk
they associate with amphetamine use. For a few years,
changes in perceived risk were not correlated with
changes in usage levels (at the aggregate level).
Specifically, in the interval 1981–1986, risk was quite
stable even though use fell considerably, likely as a
22
result of some displacement by cocaine. There was,
however, a decrease in risk during the period 1975–
1981 (when use was rising), some increase in
perceived risk in 1986–1991 (when use was falling),
and some decline in perceived risk from 1991 to 1995
(in advance of use rising again). Perceived risk has
generally been rising in recent years, very likely
contributing to the decline in use that was occurring
among 12th graders after 2002; but it appears to have
leveled since 2007. In 2011 the examples of specific
amphetamines provided in the text of the questions on
perceived risk, disapproval, and availability were
updated with the inclusion of Adderall and Ritalin.
This led to some discontinuities in the trend lines in
2011.
Disapproval
Disapproval of amphetamine use is asked in 12th
grade only. Relatively high proportions of 12th
graders have disapproved of even trying
amphetamines throughout the life of the study.
Disapproval did not change in the late 1970s despite
an increase in use. From 1981 to 1992, disapproval
rose gradually from 71% to 87% as perceived risk
rose and use steadily declined. In the mid-1990s it
declined along with perceived risk, but it has
increased fairly steadily since 1996, again along with
perceived risk.
Availability
When the MTF study started in 1975, amphetamines
had a high level of reported availability. The level fell
by about 10 percentage points by 1977, drifted up a
bit through 1980, jumped sharply in 1981, and then
began a long, gradual decline through 1991. There
was a modest increase in availability at all three grade
levels in the early 1990s, as use rose, followed by a
long-term decline after that. Some further decline
occurred in all grades in 2009 and 2010, but a
comparison for 2011 is not possible due to the
necessary question change.
Amphetamines: Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk*
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
50
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
30
PERCENT
PERCENT
40
20
10
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval*
Availability*
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
*In 2011 the list of examples was changed from "uppers, pep pills, bennies, speed" to "uppers, speed, Adderall, Ritalin, etc."
These changes likely explain the discontinuity in the 2011 results.
23
Methamphetamine and Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice)
One subclass of amphetamines is called methamphetamine (“speed”). This subclass has been
around for a long time and gave rise to the phrase
“speed kills” in the 1960s. Probably because of the
reputation it got at that time as a particularly
dangerous drug, it was not popular for some years, so
we did not include a full set of questions about its use
in MTF’s early questionnaires. One form of methamphetamine, crystal methamphetamine or “ice,” grew
in popularity in the 1980s. It comes in crystallized
form, as the name implies, and the chunks can be
heated and the fumes inhaled, much like crack.
Trends in Use
For most of the life of the study, the only question
about methamphetamine use has been contained in a
single 12th-grade questionnaire form. Respondents
who indicated using any type of amphetamines in the
prior 12 months were asked in a sequel question to
indicate on a prespecified list the types they had used
during that period. Methamphetamine was one type
on the list, and data exist on its use since 1976. (The
rates are not graphed here until 1990.) In 1976, annual
prevalence on this measure was 1.9%; it then roughly
doubled to 3.7% by 1981 (the peak year), before
declining for over a decade all the way down to 0.4%
by 1992. Use then rose again in the 1990s, as did use
of a number of drugs, reaching 1.3% by 1998. In other
words, it has followed a cross-time trajectory fairly
similar to that for amphetamines as a whole.
In 1990, in the 12th-grade questionnaires only, we
introduced our usual set of three questions for crystal
methamphetamine, measuring lifetime, annual, and
30-day use. Among 12th graders in 1990, 1.3%
indicated any use in the prior year; use then climbed
to 3.0% by 1998, and has generally been declining
since. This variable is charted on the first facing panel.
Responding to the growing concern about methamphetamine use in general—not just crystal
methamphetamine use—we added a full set of three
questions about the use of any methamphetamine to
the 1999 questionnaires for all three grade levels.
24
These questions yield a somewhat higher annual
prevalence for 12th graders: 4.3% in 2000, compared
to the sum of the methamphetamine and crystal
methamphetamine answers in the other, branching
question format, which totaled 2.8%. It would appear,
then, that the long-term method we had been using for
tracking methamphetamine use probably yielded an
understatement of the absolute prevalence level,
perhaps because some proportion of methamphetamine users did not correctly categorize
themselves initially as amphetamine users (even
though methamphetamine was given as one of the
examples of amphetamines). We think it likely that
the shape of the trend curve was not distorted,
however.
The newer questions for methamphetamine (not
graphed here) show annual prevalence rates in 2011
of 0.8%, 1.4%, and 1.4% for 8th, 10th, and 12th
graders, respectively. All of these levels are down
considerably from the first measurement taken in
1999, when they were 3.2%, 4.6%, and 4.7% (see
Table 6). So, despite growing public concern about
the methamphetamine problem in the United States,
use actually has shown a fairly steady decline over the
past 12 years, at least among secondary school
students. (A similar decline in methamphetamine use
did not begin to appear among college students and
young adults until after 2004, likely reflecting a
cohort effect.)
Other Measures
No questions have yet been added to the study on
perceived risk, disapproval, or availability with regard
to overall methamphetamine use. Data on perceived
risk and availability for crystal methamphetamine,
specifically, may be found on the facing page.
Clearly the perceived risk of crystal methamphetamine use has risen considerably since 2003, very
likely explaining much of the decline in use since
then. Perceived availability has been falling in all
three grades since 2006, perhaps in part because there
are many fewer users.
Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice) : Trends in Annual Use, Risk, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
10
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
6
PERCENT
PERCENT
8
4
2
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
(no data)
40
20
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
25
Heroin
For many decades, heroin—a derivative of opium—
was administered primarily by injection into a vein.
However, in the 1990s the purity of available heroin
reached very high levels, making other modes of
administration (such as snorting and smoking)
practical alternatives. Thus, in 1995 we introduced
questions that asked separately about using heroin
with and without a needle in order to determine
whether noninjection use explained the upsurge in
heroin use we were observing. The usage statistics
presented on the facing page are based on heroin use
by any method, but data on the two specific types of
administration are contained in the tables at the end of
this report.
Trends in Use
The annual prevalence of heroin use among 12th
graders fell by half between 1975 and 1979, from
1.0% to 0.5%. The rate then held amazingly steady
until 1994. Use rose in the mid and late 1990s, along
with the use of most drugs; it reached peak levels in
1996 among 8th graders (1.6%), in 1997 among 10th
graders (1.4%), and in 2000 among 12th graders
(1.5%). Since those peak levels, use has declined,
with annual prevalence in all three grades fluctuating
between 0.7% and 0.9% from 2005 through 2011.
Because the questions about use with and without a
needle were not introduced until the 1995 survey, they
did not encompass much of the period of increasing
heroin use. Responses to the new questions showed
that by then about equal proportions of all 8th-grade
users were taking heroin by each method of ingestion,
and some—nearly a third of users—were using both
means. At 10th grade a somewhat higher proportion
of all users took heroin without a needle, and at 12th
grade the proportion was even higher. Much of the
remaining increase in overall heroin use beyond 1995
occurred in the proportions using it without injecting,
which we strongly suspect was true in the
immediately preceding period of increase as well.
Likewise, most of the decrease in use since the recent
peak levels has been due to decreasing use of heroin
without a needle. Use with a needle has fluctuated less
over time, though in 2010 12th graders showed a
significant increase to 0.7%, about where it remained
in 2011 (0.6%).
26
Perceived Risk
Students have long seen heroin to be one of the most
dangerous drugs, which no doubt helps to account
both for the consistently high level of personal disapproval of use (see below) and the quite low prevalence of use. Nevertheless, there have been some
changes in perceived risk levels over the years. Between 1975 and 1986, perceived risk gradually declined, even though use dropped and then stabilized in
that interval. Then there was a big spike in 1987 (the
same year that perceived risk for cocaine jumped
dramatically), where it held for four years. In 1992,
perceived risk dropped to a lower plateau again, presaging an increase in use a year or two later. Perceived risk then rose again in the latter half of the
1990s, and use leveled off and subsequently declined.
Based on the short interval for which we have such
data from 8th and 10th graders, the tables at the end of
this report illustrate that perceived risk of use without
a needle rose in the lower grades between 1995 and
1997, foretelling an end to the increase in use. Note
that perceived risk has served as a leading indicator of
use for this drug as well as a number of others. During
the 2000s, perceived risk has been relatively stable in
all three grades along with use.
Disapproval
There has been little fluctuation in the very high
disapproval levels for heroin use over the years, and
the small changes that have occurred have been
generally consistent with changes in perceived risk
and use.
Availability
The proportion of 12th-grade students saying they
could get heroin fairly easily if they wanted some
remained around 20% through the mid-1980s; it then
increased considerably from 1986 to 1992 before
stabilizing at about 35% from 1992 through 1998. At
the lower grade levels, reported availability has been
markedly lower. Availability has declined gradually
since the late 1990s in all three grades.
Heroin: Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk*
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
5
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
3
PERCENT
PERCENT
4
2
1
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval*
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
*Prior to 1995, the questions asked about heroin use in general. Since 1995, the questions have asked about heroin use without
a needle.
27
Other Narcotic Drugs, Including OxyContin and Vicodin
There are a number of narcotic drugs other than
heroin—all controlled substances. Many are
analgesics that can be prescribed by physicians and
dentists for pain. Like heroin, many are derived from
opium, but there are also a number of synthetic
analogues in use today, including OxyContin and
Vicodin.
Throughout the life of the MTF study, we have asked
about the use of any narcotic drug other than heroin
without specifying which one. Examples of drugs in
the class are provided in the question stem. In one of
the six 12th-grade questionnaire forms, however,
respondents indicating that they had used any narcotic
in the past 12 months were then asked to check which
of a fairly long list of such drugs they used. Table E-4
in Volume I of this annual monograph series provides
trends in their annual prevalence data. In the late
1970s, opium and codeine were among the narcotics
most widely used. In recent years Vicodin, codeine,
Percocet, and OxyContin have been the most
prevalent.
Trends in Use
Use is reported only for 12th graders, because we
considered the data from 8th and 10th graders to be of
questionable validity. As shown in the first panel of
the facing page, 12th graders’ use of narcotics other
than heroin generally trended down from about 1977
through 1992, dropping considerably. After 1992 use
rose rather steeply, with annual prevalence nearly
tripling from 3.3% in 1992 to 9.5% in 2004, before
leveling. (In 2002 the question was revised to add
Vicodin, OxyContin, and Percocet to the examples
given, which clearly had the effect of increasing
reported prevalence, as may be seen in the first panel
on the facing page. So the extent of the increase over
28
the full time span likely is exaggerated, but probably
not by much, because these drugs came onto the scene
later, during the rise. They simply were not being
fully reported by the late 1990s.)
Use rates for two narcotics of recent interest—
OxyContin and Vicodin—are presented in the second
and third panels on the facing page, in a departure
from the usual arrangement. (There are no data to
display for perceived risk or disapproval of use of
narcotics other than heroin.) OxyContin use
increased some in all grades from 2002 (when it was
first measured) through 2011, though the trend lines
have been irregular. Annual prevalence in 2011 was
1.8%, 3.9%, and 4.9% in grades 8, 10, and 12,
respectively. Use of Vicodin, on the other hand,
remained fairly steady at somewhat higher levels
since 2002, though use among 10th and 12th graders
has declined sharply since 2009. In 2011 annual
prevalence rates were 2.1%, 5.9%, and 8.1% in grades
8, 10, and 12.
Availability
Questions were asked about the availability of other
narcotics, taken as a class. Perceived availability
increased gradually among 12th graders from 1978
through 1989, even as reported use was dropping.
Among 12th graders, perceived availability rose
gradually from 1991 through 2001, as use rose more
sharply. In contrast, perceived availability has
declined among 8th and 10th graders since the late
1990s. (A change in question wording in 2010 to
include OxyContin and Vicodin as examples
presumably accounts for the considerable jump in
reported availability.) Availability declined further in
all three grades in 2011.
Narcotics other than Heroin (including OxyContin and Vicodin) :
Trends in Annual Use and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use of Narcotics other than Heroin
% who used any narcotics other than heroin
in last 12 months*
OxyContin Use
% who used OxyContin in last 12 months
20
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
16
PERCENT
PERCENT
16
20
12
12
8
8
4
4
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
0
YEAR
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
Vicodin Use
Availability of Narcotics other than Heroin**
% who used Vicodin in last 12 months
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
20
100
80
12
PERCENT
PERCENT
16
8
60
40
4
20
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
*Beginning in 2002, a revised set of questions on other narcotics use was introduced in which "Talwin," "laudanum," and "paregoric"
were replaced with "Vicodin," "OxyContin," and "Percocet."
**In 2010 the list of examples was changed from "methadone, opium" to "Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, etc."
29
Tranquilizers
Tranquilizers are psychotherapeutic drugs that are
legally sold only by prescription, like amphetamines.
They are central nervous depressants and, for the most
part, comprise benzodiazepines (minor tranquilizers),
although some nonbenzodiazepines have been
introduced. Respondents are instructed to exclude any
medically prescribed use from their answers. At
present, Valium and Xanax are the two tranquilizers
most commonly used by students. (See appendix E of
Volume I in this monograph series for detailed tables.)
In 2001 the examples given in the tranquilizer
question were modified to reflect changes in the drugs
in common use—Miltown was dropped and Xanax
was added. As the first panel on the facing page
shows, this caused a modest increase in the reported
level of tranquilizer use in the upper grades, so we
have broken the trend line to reflect the point of
redefinition.
graders, at considerably lower levels than the upper
two grades, though they did show a significant decline
in 2011. From 2002 to 2005 there was some decline
among 10th graders, followed by a leveling, while
among 12th graders there was a very gradual decline
from 2002 through 2007, before leveling. This
staggered pattern of change suggests that a cohort
effect has been at work. At present the prevalence of
use of these prescription-type drugs is modestly lower
than their recent peak levels, with annual prevalence
rates of 2.0%, 4.5%, and 5.6% in grades 8, 10, and 12,
respectively.
Trends in Use
During the late 1970s and all of the 1980s,
tranquilizers fell steadily from popularity, with 12th
graders’ use declining by three fourths over the 15year interval between 1977 and 1992. Their use then
increased, as happened with many other drugs during
the 1990s. Annual prevalence more than doubled
among 12th graders, rising steadily through 2002,
before leveling. Use also rose steadily among 10th
graders, but began to decline some in 2002. Use
peaked much earlier among 8th graders, in 1996, and
then declined slightly for two years. Tranquilizer use
has remained relatively stable since then among 8th
Availability
As the number of 12th graders reporting nonmedically prescribed tranquilizer use fell dramatically
during the 1970s and 1980s, so did the proportion
saying that tranquilizers would be fairly or very easy
to get. Whether declining use caused the decline in
availability or vice versa is unclear. However, 12th
graders’ perceived availability has continued to fall
since then, even as use rebounded in the 1990s; it is
now down by more than three fourths over the life of
the study—from 72% in 1975 to 17% by 2011.
Availability has fallen fairly continuously since 1991
in the lower grades as well, though not as sharply.
30
Perceived Risk and Disapproval
Data have not been collected on perceived risk and
disapproval primarily due to questionnaire space
limitations.
Tranquilizers : Trends in Annual Use and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use*
Risk
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
30
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
18
PERCENT
PERCENT
24
12
6
(no data)
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
(no data)
40
20
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
*Beginning in 2001, a revised set of questions on tranquilizer use was introduced in which "Xanax" replaced "Miltown" in the
list of examples.
31
Sedatives (Barbiturates)
Like tranquilizers, sedatives are prescriptioncontrolled psychotherapeutic drugs that act as central
nervous system depressants. They are used to assist
sleep and relieve anxiety.
Though for many years respondents have been asked
specifically about their use of barbiturate sedatives,
they likely have been including other classes of
sedatives in their answers. In 2004 the question on use
was revised to say “sedatives/barbiturates”—a change
that appeared to have no impact on reported levels of
use. Respondents are told for what purposes sedatives
are prescribed and are instructed to exclude from their
answers any use under medical supervision. Usage
data are reported only for 12th graders because we
believe that 8th- and 10th-grade students tend to
overreport use, perhaps including in their answers
their use of nonprescription sleep aids or other overthe-counter drugs.
Trends in Use
As with tranquilizers, the use of sedatives (barbiturates) fell steadily among 12th graders from the
mid-1970s through the early 1990s. From 1975 to
1992 annual prevalence fell by three fourths, from
10.7% to 2.8%. As with many other drugs, a gradual,
long-term resurgence in sedative use occurred after
1992, and use continued to rise steadily through 2005,
well beyond the point where the use of many illegal
drugs began falling. Use has declined some since
2005, and by 2011 the annual prevalence rate is down
by about four tenths from its recent peak. The sedative
methaqualone has been included in the MTF study
from the very beginning, and has never been as
popular as barbiturates; use rates have generally been
declining since 1975, reaching an annual prevalence
of just 0.5% in 2007, about where it has remained
since.
Perceived Risk
Trying sedatives (barbiturates) was never seen by
most students as very dangerous; and it is clear from
32
the second panel on the facing page that perceived
risk cannot explain the trends in use that occurred
from 1975 through 1986, when perceived risk was
actually declining along with use. But then perceived
risk shifted up some through 1991 while use was still
falling. It dropped back some through 1995, as use
was increasing, and then remained relatively stable for
a few years. Perceived risk has generally been at quite
low levels, which may help to explain why the use of
this class of psychotherapeutic drugs (and likely others) has stayed at relatively high levels in the first half
of the decade of the 2000s. However, it began to rise a
bit after 2000, foretelling the decline in use that began
after 2005. When the term “sedatives” was changed to
“sedatives/barbiturates” in 2004, the trend line shifted
down slightly, but perceived risk has continued to
climb some. As perceived risk has risen, use has declined some.
Disapproval
Like many illicit drugs other than marijuana, sedative
(barbiturate) use has received the disapproval of most
high school seniors since 1975, with some variation in
disapproval rates that have moved consistently with
usage patterns. The necessary change in question
wording in 2004 appeared to lessen disapproval
slightly. There has been some modest increase in
disapproval since 2000.
Availability
As the fourth panel on the facing page shows, the
perceived availability of sedatives (barbiturates) has
generally been declining during most of the life of the
study, except for one upward shift that occurred in
1981—a year in which look-alike drugs became more
widespread. (The necessary change in question text in
2004 appears to have had the effect of increasing
reported availability among 12th graders but not
among those in the lower grades.)
Sedatives (Barbiturates) : Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use*
Risk**
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
30
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
18
PERCENT
PERCENT
24
12
6
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval**
Availability**
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
*In 2004 the question text was changed. "Barbiturates" was changed to "Sedatives, including barbiturates" and "have you taken barbiturates..."
was changed to "have you taken sedatives..." In the list of examples "downs, downers, goofballs, yellows, reds, blues, rainbows" were changed
to "downs, or downers, and include Phenobarbital, Tuinal, and Seconal."
**In 2004 the question text was changed from "barbiturates" to "sedatives/barbiturates" and the list of examples was changed from "downers,
goofballs, reds, yellows, etc." to just "downers." These changes likely explain the discontinuity in the 2004 results.
33
Ecstasy (MDMA) and Other “Club Drugs”
There are a number of “club drugs,” so labeled
because they have been popular at night clubs and
“raves.” They include LSD, MDMA (“ecstasy”),
methamphetamine, GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate),
ketamine (“special K”), and Rohypnol. Because
previous sections in this Overview have dealt with
LSD and methamphetamine, they will not be
discussed further here.
Rohypnol and GHB, both of which can induce amnesia while under the influence, have also been labeled
“date rape drugs.” The annual prevalence of GHB use
in 2011 was 0.6%, 0.5%, and 1.4% in grades 8, 10,
and 12, respectively, and the annual prevalence of
ketamine use was 0.8%, 1.2%, and 1.7%,
respectively. Both have shown considerable drops
since their recent peak levels of use (Table 6). There
are no questions on risk, disapproval, or availability
for GHB, ketamine, or Rohypnol.
Trends in Ecstasy Use
Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or
MDMA) is used more for its mildly hallucinogenic
properties than for its stimulant properties. Questions
on ecstasy use were added to the high school surveys
in 1996 (and have been asked of college students and
adults since 1989).
Annual prevalence of ecstasy use in 10th and 12th
grades in 1996 was 4.6%—considerably higher than
among college students and young adults at that
time—but it fell in both grades over the next two
years. Use then rose sharply in both grades from 1999
to 2001, bringing annual prevalence up to 6.2%
among 10th graders and 9.2% among 12th graders.
From 2000 to 2001, use also began to rise among 8th
graders, to 3.5%. In 2002, use decreased sharply—by
about one fifth—in all three grades, followed by an
even sharper decline in 2003. The drops continued in
2004, but decelerated considerably. By 2005 the decline had halted among 8th and 10th graders, but it
continued for another year among 12th graders. For
two or three years there was some rebound in use
among 10th and 12th graders, raising the concern that
a new epidemic of ecstasy use may be developing;
however, after 2007 the trend lines leveled off in all
grades until annual prevalence increased significantly
in the lower grades between 2009 and 2010 (from
1.3% to 2.4% in 8th grade and from 3.7% to 4.7% in
34
10th grade), but then declined in 2011 in both grades.
Use among 12th graders did increase in 2011.
Perceived Risk of Ecstasy Use
There was little change in 12th graders’ perceived risk
of ecstasy use until 2001, when it jumped by eight
percentage points, and then by another seven percentage points in 2002. Significant increases occurred
again in 2003 for all grades. This very sharp rise
likely explains the turnaround in use that we had
predicted in advance. However, since 2004, we have
seen a troubling drop in perceived risk, first among
8th and 10th graders, then among 12th graders. This
shift corresponded to the increase in use in the upper
two grades, and then in all three grades, suggesting
that there may be a generational forgetting of the
dangers of ecstasy use resulting from generational
replacement. The decline in perceived risk continued
into 2010 in the upper grades, and then into 2011 in
8th and 12th grades.
Disapproval of Ecstasy Use
Disapproval of ecstasy use had been declining slightly
after 1998, but increased significantly in all three
grades in 2002, perhaps because of the rise in perceived risk. The significant increases in disapproval
continued through 2003 for 8th graders, 2004 for 10th
graders, and 2006 for 12th graders, suggesting some
cohort effect. After those peaks, disapproval dropped
sharply among 8th graders before leveling, dropped
by less among 10th graders before leveling, and did
not drop among 12th graders until 2010—suggesting
a cohort effect. We previously stated that the erosion
in perceived risk and disapproval—which has been
sharpest among 8th graders—left these age groups
more vulnerable to a possible rebound in ecstasy use:
some rebound appears to have occurred.
Availability of Ecstasy
The figure shows a dramatic rise in 12th graders’
perceived availability of ecstasy after 1991, particularly between 1999 and 2001, consistent with informal
reports about growing importation of the drug.
Perceived availability then declined considerably in
all grades after 2001 but has been fairly level since
2009.
Ecstasy (MDMA) : Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
10
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
6
PERCENT
PERCENT
8
4
2
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
35
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages have been among the most
widely used psychoactive substances by American
young people for a very long time. In 2011 the
proportions of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who
reported drinking an alcoholic beverage in the 30-day
period prior to the survey were 13%, 27%, and 40%,
respectively. A number of measures of alcohol use are
presented in the tables at the end of this report. Here
we focus on episodic heavy or “binge” drinking (i.e.,
having five or more drinks in a row during the prior
two-week interval at least once)—the pattern of
alcohol consumption that is probably of greatest
concern from a public health perspective. But it is
important to mention that in 2011 all measures of
alcohol use—lifetime, annual, 30-day, and binge
drinking in the prior two weeks—reached historic
lows over the life of the study, following a long period
of gradual declines.
Trends in Use
Among 12th graders, binge drinking peaked at about
the same time as overall illicit drug use, in 1979. It
held steady for a few years before declining
substantially from 41% in 1983 to a low of 28% in
1992 (also the low point of any illicit drug use). This
was a drop of almost one third in binge drinking.
Although illicit drug use rose by considerable
proportions in the 1990s, binge drinking rose by only
a small fraction, followed by some decline in binge
drinking at all three grades. By 2011, proportional
declines since the recent peaks reached in the 1990s
are 52%, 39%, and 31% for grades 8, 10, and 12,
respectively (Table 8).
It should be noted that there is no evidence of any
displacement effect in the aggregate between alcohol
and marijuana—a hypothesis frequently heard. The
two drugs have moved much more in parallel over the
years than in opposite directions, at least until the past
four years, during which time alcohol continued to
decline while marijuana reversed course and rose.
Moreove, these two behaviors have consistently been
positively correlated at the individual level.
Perceived Risk
Throughout most of the life of the MTF study, the
majority of 12th graders have not viewed binge
36
drinking on weekends as carrying a great risk (second
panel).
However, an increase from 36% to 49% occurred
between 1982 and 1992. There then followed a
decline to 43% by 1997 as use rose, before it
stabilized. Since 2003, perceived risk has risen some
in all grades including in 2011. These changes are
consistent with changes in actual binge drinking. We
believe that the public service advertising campaigns
in the 1980s against drunk driving, as well as those
that urged use of designated drivers when drinking,
may have contributed to the increase in perceived risk
of binge drinking generally. As we have published
elsewhere, drunk driving by 12th graders declined
during that period by an even larger proportion than
binge drinking.9 Also, we have demonstrated that
increases in the minimum drinking age during the
1980s were followed by reductions in drinking and
increases in perceived risk associated with drinking.
Disapproval
Disapproval of weekend binge drinking moved fairly
parallel with perceived risk, suggesting that such
drinking (and very likely the drunk-driving behavior
associated with it) became increasingly unacceptable
in the peer group. Note that the rates of disapproval
and perceived risk for binge drinking are higher in the
lower grades than in 12th grade. As with perceived
risk, disapproval has increased appreciably in all
grades, though it has leveled some in recent years.
Availability
Perceived availability of alcohol, which until 1999
was asked only of 8th and 10th graders, was very high
and mostly steady in the 1990s. Since 1996, however,
there have been significant declines in 8th and 10th
grades. For 12th grade, availability has declined only
modestly with 89% still saying that it would be fairly
easy or very easy for them to get alcohol. It appears
that states, communities, and parents have been
successful at reducing access to alcohol among the
younger students, however.
9
O'Malley, P.M. & Johnston, L.D. (2003). Unsafe driving by high school
seniors: National trends from 1976 to 2001 in tickets and accidents after use of
alcohol, marijuana, and other illegal drugs. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 64,
305-312.
Alcohol: Trends in Binge Drinking, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who had 5+ drinks in a row
at least once in past two weeks
% seeing "great risk" in having 5+ drinks in a
row once or twice each weekend
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
80
100
40
20
60
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
% disapproving of having 5+ drinks in a row
once or twice each weekend
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
37
Cigarettes
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable
disease and mortality in the United States, and is
usually initiated in adolescence. That makes what
happens in adolescence particularly important.
Trends in Use
Differences in smoking rates between various birth
cohorts (or, in this case, school class cohorts) tend to
stay with those cohorts throughout the life cycle. This
means that it is critical to prevent smoking very early.
It also means that the trends in a given historical
period may differ across various grade levels as
changes in use occurring earlier in adolescence work
their way up the age spectrum ( i.e., “cohort effects”).
Among 12th graders, 30-day prevalence of smoking
reached a peak in 1976, at 39%. (The peak likely
occurred considerably earlier at lower grade levels as
these same class cohorts passed through them in
previous years.) There was about a one quarter drop in
12th-grade 30-day prevalence between 1976 and
1981, when the rate reached 29%, and remained there
until 1992 (28%). In the 1990s, smoking began to rise
sharply, after 1991 among 8th and 10th graders and
1992 among 12th graders. Over the next four to five
years, smoking rates increased by about one half in
the lower two grades and by almost one third in grade
12—very substantial increases to which MTF drew
public attention. Smoking peaked in 1996 for 8th and
10th graders and in 1997 for 12th graders before
beginning a fairly steady and substantial decline that
continued through 2004 for 8th and 10th graders (12th
graders increased a bit in 2004). Between the peak
levels in the mid-1990s and 2004, 30-day prevalence
of smoking declined by 56% in 8th grade, 47% in
10th, and 32% in 12th. It is noteworthy, however, that
this important decline in adolescent smoking
decelerated sharply after about 2002. There was some
further decline after 2004 in all grades, but the
declines appeared to end in the lower two grades in
2010. In 2011, however, declines occurred in all three
grades, with the decline in 10th grade reaching
statistical significance.
Perceived Risk
Among 12th graders, the proportion seeing great risk
in pack-a-day smoking rose before and during the first
38
period of decline in use in the late 1970s. It leveled in
1980 (before use leveled), declined a bit in 1982, but
then started to rise again gradually for five years. (It is
possible that cigarette advertising effectively offset
the influence of rising perceptions of risk during that
period.) Perceived risk fell some in the early 1990s at
all three grade levels as use increased sharply. Since
then, there has generally been an increase (though not
entirely consistently) in perceived risk. All three
grades showed an increase in 2011, when use showed
a decline. For all three grades, the 2011 levels of perceived risk are the highest ever observed. Note the
differences in the extent of perceived risk among
grade levels. There is a clear age effect, and by the
time most youngsters fully appreciate the hazards of
smoking, many of their classmates have already initiated the behavior.
Disapproval
Disapproval rates for smoking have been fairly high
throughout the study and, unlike perceived risk, are
higher in the lower grade levels. Among 12th graders,
there was a gradual increase in disapproval of smoking from 1976 to 1986, some erosion over the following five years, and then steeper erosion from the early
1990s through 1997. After 1997, disapproval rose for
some years in all three grades, but leveled in grade 12
after 2006 and in the lower grades after 2007. We
measure a number of other smoking-related attitudes;
these became increasingly negative for some years,
but leveled off three to four years ago (see Table 3 in
the 2011 MTF press release on teen smoking,
http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/press.html).
Availability
When the question was first introduced in 1992,
availability of cigarettes was reported to be very high
by 8th graders (78% saying fairly or very easy to get)
and 10th graders (89%). (We do not ask the question
of 12th graders, for whom we assume accessibility to
be nearly universal.) Since 1996, availability has
declined considerably, especially among 8th graders.
Some 52% of 8th graders and 74% of 10th graders
now say that cigarettes would be easy to get,
reflecting declines since 1992 of 26 and 16 percentage
points, respectively.
Cigarettes : Trends in 30-Day Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Risk
% seeing "great risk" in smoking a pack
or more per day
Use
% who used in last 30 days
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
80
100
40
20
60
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
% disapproving of smoking a pack
or more per day
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
39
Smokeless and Other Forms of Tobacco
Traditionally, smokeless tobacco has come in two
forms: “snuff” and “chew.” Snuff is finely ground
tobacco usually sold in tins, either loose or in packets.
It is held in the mouth between the lip or cheek and
the gums. Chew is a leafy form of tobacco, usually
sold in pouches. It too is held in the mouth and may,
as the name implies, be chewed. In both cases,
nicotine is absorbed by the mucous membranes of the
mouth. These forms are sometimes called “spit”
tobacco because users expectorate the tobacco juices
and saliva (stimulated by the tobacco) that accumulate
in the mouth. “Snus” (rhymes with goose) is a
relatively new variation on smokeless tobacco, as are
some other dissolvable tobacco products. Given that
snus appears to be gaining in populatity, items
regarding the use of snus and dissolvable tobacco
were added to the 2011 surveys. Annual prevalence
among 12th graders were found to be 7.9% for snus
and only 1.5% for dissolvable tobacco.
Trends in Use
The use of smokeless tobacco by teens had been
decreasing gradually, and 30-day prevalence is now
only about half of recent peak levels in the mid-1990s.
Among 8th graders, 30-day prevalence dropped from
a 1994 peak of 7.7% to a low of 3.2% in 2007. It
stands at 3.5% in 2011. Tenth graders’ use was down
from a 1994 peak of 10.5% to 4.9% in 2004, but has
risen some to 6.6% in 2011; and 12th graders’ use
decreased from a 1995 peak of 12.2% to 6.1% in
2006, before leveling and then rising to 8.3% in 2011.
While use had been rising, it did not continue to rise
in 2011. Thirty-day prevalence of daily use of
smokeless tobacco fell gradually, but appreciably, for
some years. Daily usage rates in 2011 are 0.8%, 1.7%,
and 3.1% in grades 8, 10, and 12, respectively—down
substantially from peak levels recorded in the 1990s
but, again, the declines in daily use have halted and
begun to reverse.
It should be noted that smokeless tobacco use among
American young people is almost exclusively a male
behavior. For example, among males the 30-day
prevalence rates in 2011 are 4.9%, 11.5%, and 14.2%
in grades 8, 10, and 12, respectively, versus 1.9%,
1.9%, and 1.8%, respectively, among females. The
respective current daily use rates for males are 1.5%,
40
3.3%, and 6.0% compared to 0.2%, 0.2%, and 0.0%
for females.
Perceived Risk
The most recent low point in the level of perceived
risk for smokeless tobacco was 1995 in all three
grades. For a decade following 1995 there was a gradual but substantial increase in proportions saying that
there is a great risk in using smokeless tobacco regularly. It thus appears that one important reason for the
appreciable declines in smokeless tobacco use during
the latter half of the 1990s was that an increasing proportion of young people were persuaded of the dangers of using it. But the increases in perceived risk
ended by 2004, and it declined some in grades 10 and
12 for a couple of years, before leveling. The decline
could be due to generational forgetting of the dangers
of use, the increased marketing of snus and other
smokeless products, and/or public statements about
smokeless tobacco use being relatively less dangerous
than cigarette smoking.
Disapproval
Only 8th and 10th graders are asked about their
personal disapproval of using smokeless tobacco
regularly. The most recent low points for disapproval
in both grades were 1995 and 1996. After 1996,
disapproval rose among 8th graders from 74% to 82%
in 2005, about where it remains in 2011 (83%), and
from 71% to 82% in 2008 among 10th graders, with a
significant decline since 2008 to 79% in 2010. It is
80% in 2011.
Availability
There are no questions on perceived availability of
smokeless tobacco.
Hookahs and Small Cigars
Twelfth graders were first asked about smoking small
cigars and smoking tobacco using hookahs
(waterpipes) in 2010. The past year prevalence rate in
2011 was 18.5% for hookah smoking (up from 17.1%
in 2010) and 19.5% for small cigars (down
significantly from 23.1% in 2010).
Smokeless Tobacco : Trends in 30-Day Use, Risk, and Disapproval
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk
% who used in last 30 days
% seeing "great risk" in using regularly
30
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
18
PERCENT
PERCENT
24
12
6
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval
Availability
% disapproving of using regularly
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
(no data)
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
41
Steroids
Unlike all other drugs discussed in this Overview,
anabolic steroids are not usually taken for their
psychoactive effects but rather for muscle and
strength development. However, they are similar to
most other drugs studied here in two respects: they
can have adverse consequences for the user, and they
are controlled substances for which there is an illicit
market. Questions about steroid use were added to
MTF questionnaires beginning in 1989. Respondents
are asked: “Steroids, or anabolic steroids, are
sometimes prescribed by doctors to promote healing
from certain types of injuries. Some athletes, and
others, have used them to try to increase muscle
development. On how many occasions (if any) have
you taken steroids on your own—that is, without a
doctor telling you to take them . . . ?” In 2006 the
question text was changed slightly in some
questionnaire forms—the phrase “to promote healing
from certain types of injuries” was replaced by “to
treat certain conditions.” The resulting data did not
show any effect from this rewording. In 2007 the
remaining forms were changed in the same manner.
Trends in Use
Anabolic steroids are used predominately by males;
therefore, data based on all respondents can mask the
higher rates and larger fluctuations that occur among
males. (For example, in 2011, annual prevalence rates
were 1.0%, 1.4%, and 1.8% for boys in grades 8, 10,
and 12, compared with 0.4%, 0.4%, and 0.5% for
girls.) Between 1991 and 1998, the overall annual
prevalence rate was fairly stable among 8th and 10th
graders, ranging between 0.9% and 1.2%. In 1999,
however, use jumped from 1.2% to 1.7% in both 8th
and 10th grades. (Almost all of that increase occurred
among boys increasing from 1.6% in 1998 to 2.5% in
1999 in 8th grade and from 1.9% to 2.8% in 10th
grade. Thus, rates among boys increased by about
50% in a single year.) Among all 8th graders, steroid
use has declined by about half to 0.7% in 2011.
Among 10th graders, use continued to increase,
reaching 2.2% in 2002, but then declined by more
than half to 0.9% by 2011. In 12th grade there was a
different trend story. With data going back to 1989,
we can see that steroid use first fell from 1.9% overall
in 1989 to 1.1% in 1992—the low point. From 1992
to 1999 there was a more gradual increase in use,
reaching 1.7% in 2000. In 2001, use rose significantly
42
among 12th graders to 2.4% (possibly reflecting a
cohort effect with the younger, heavier-using cohorts
getting older). Their use decreased significantly in
2005 to 1.5%, where it remained in 2010, before
falling slightly more to 1.2% in 2011. Use is now
down from recent peak levels by 56%, 59%, and 52%
among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, respectively. (The
use of androstenedione—a steroid precursor—has
also declined sharply since 2001.)
Perceived Risk
Perceived risk and disapproval were asked of 8th and
10th graders for only a few years. All grades seemed
to have a peak in perceived risk around 1993. The
longer term data from 12th graders show a ten percentage-point drop between 1998 and 2000, and an additional three percentage-point drop by 2003 (to 55%,
the lowest point ever). A change this sharp is quite
unusual and highly significant, suggesting that some
particular event or events in 1998—quite possibly
publicity about use of performance-enhancing substances by famous athletes, in particular use of androstenedione by a famous home-run-hitting baseball
player—made steroids seem less risky. It seems likely
that perceived risk dropped substantially in the lower
grades as well, and the sharp upturn in their use that
year would be consistent with such a change. By
2011, perceived risk for 12th graders was up to 61%.
Disapproval
Disapproval of steroid use has been quite high for
some years. Between 1998 and 2003 there was a
modest decrease, though not as dramatic as the drop
in perceived risk. From 2003 to 2008, disapproval
rose some—as perceived risk rose and use declined—
then leveled.
Availability
Perceived availability of steroids was relatively high
and increased with grade level; but it has declined
appreciably at all grades in recent years. Some
steroids were previously sold over-the-counter, but
now a number have been scheduled by the DEA.
Androstenedione was classified as a Schedule III
controlled substance in 2005.
Steroids: Trends in Annual Use, Risk, Disapproval, and Availability
Grades 8, 10, 12
Use
Risk*
% who used in last 12 months
% seeing "great risk" in using once or twice
5
100
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
80
3
PERCENT
PERCENT
4
2
1
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Disapproval*
Availability
% disapproving of using once or twice
% saying "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get
100
100
80
80
60
60
PERCENT
PERCENT
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
'75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11
YEAR
YEAR
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
*Question discontinued in 8th- and 10th-grade questionnaires in 1995.
43
Subgroup Differences
Understanding the important subgroup variations in
substance use among the nation’s youth allows for
more informed considerations of substance use
etiology and prevention. In this section, we present a
brief overview of some of the major demographic
subgroup differences.
Space does not permit a full discussion or
documentation of the many subgroup differences on
the host of drugs covered in this report. However,
Volume I in this monograph series—including the one
published in 2011 and the one forthcoming in 2012—
contains an extensive appendix (Appendix D) with
tables giving the subgroup prevalence levels and
trends for all of the classes of drugs discussed here.
Chapters 4 and 5 in Volume I also present a more indepth discussion and interpretation of those subgroup
differences. Comparisons are made by gender, college
plans, region of the country, community size,
socioeonomic level (as measured by educational level
of the parents), and race/ethnicity. In addition,
Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper 74—to be
succeeded by Occasional Paper 77 (forthcoming)—is
available
on
the
MTF
Web
site
(www.monitoringthefuture.org), and provides in chart
form the many subgroup trends for all drugs. The
reader will probably find the graphic presentations in
these occasional papers much easier to comprehend
than the tabular material.
Gender
Generally, we have found males to have somewhat
higher rates of illicit drug use than females (especially
higher rates of frequent use), and much higher rates of
smokeless tobacco and steroid use. Males have
generally had higher rates of heavy drinking; however, in their 30-day prevalence of alcohol use at 8th
grade, girls overtook the boys in 2002 and have had
higher rates since. At 10th grade, girls caught up to
the boys by 2005, but boys have had higher use for
the past three years. The genders have had roughly
equivalent rates of cigarette smoking in recent years
among 8th and 10th graders, at least until the last few
years as use by males has begun to exceed that by
females. Among 12th graders, the two genders have
reversed order twice during the life of the study, but
since 1991 males have had slightly higher smoking
rates. These gender differences appear to emerge as
44
students grow older. In 8th grade, females actually
have higher rates of use for some drugs. Usage rates
for the various substances generally tend to move
much in parallel across time for both genders,
although the absolute differences tend to be largest in
the historical periods in which overall prevalence rates
are highest.
College Plans
While in high school, those students who are not
college-bound (a decreasing proportion of the total
youth population) are considerably more likely to be
at risk for using illicit drugs, drinking heavily, and
particularly smoking cigarettes. Again, these differences are largest in periods of highest prevalence.
In the lower grades, it was the college-bound who had
a greater increase in cigarette smoking in the early to
mid-1990s than did their non-college-bound peers.
Region of the Country
The differences associated with region of the country
are sufficiently varied and complex that we cannot do
justice to them here. In the past, though, the Northeast
and West tended to have the highest proportions of
students using any illicit drug, and the South the
lowest (although these rankings do not apply to many
of the specific drugs and do not apply to all grades
today). In particular, the cocaine epidemic of the early
1980s was much more pronounced in the West and
Northeast than in the other two regions, although the
differences decreased as the overall epidemic
subsided. While the South and West have generally
had lower rates of drinking among students than the
Northeast and the Midwest, those differences have
narrowed somewhat in recent years. Cigarette
smoking rates have generally been lowest in the West.
The upsurge of ecstasy use in 1999 occurred primarily
in the Northeast, but that drug’s newfound popularity
then spread to the three other regions of the country.
Population Density
There have not been very large or consistent
differences in overall illicit drug use associated with
population density since MTF began, helping to
demonstrate just how ubiquitous the illicit drug
phenomenon has been in this country. Crack and
heroin use have generally not been concentrated in
urban areas, as is commonly believed, meaning that
no parents should assume that their children are
immune to these threats simply because they do not
live in a city.
Socioeconomic Level
The average level of education of the student’s
parents, as reported by the student, is used as a proxy
for socioeconomic status of the family. For many
drugs the differences in use by socioeconomic class
are very small, and the trends have been highly
parallel. One very interesting difference occurred for
cocaine, the use of which was positively associated
with socioeconomic level in the early 1980s.
However, with the advent of crack, which offered
cocaine at a lower price, that association nearly
disappeared by 1986. Cigarette smoking showed a
similar narrowing of class differences, but this time it
was a large negative association with socioeconomic
level that diminished considerably between roughly
1985 and 1993. In more recent years, that negative
association has re-emerged in the lower grades as use
declined faster among students from more educated
families. We believe that the removal of the Joe
Camel ad campaign may have played a role in this.
Rates of binge drinking are roughly equivalent across
the social classes in the upper grades, a pattern that
has existed for some time among 12th graders. But,
among 10th graders, a negative correlation between
social class and binge drinking has begun to develop
in the past few years.
racial/ethnic groups—Whites, African Americans,
and Hispanics. African-American students have
substantially lower rates of use of most licit and illicit
drugs than do Whites at all three grade levels. These
include any illicit drug use, most of the specific illicit
drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. In fact, African
Americans’ use of cigarettes has been dramatically
lower than Whites’ use—a difference that emerged
largely during the life of the study (i.e., since 1975).
Hispanic students have rates of use that tend to place
them between the other two groups in 12th grade—
usually closer to the rates for Whites than for African
Americans. Hispanics do have the highest reported
rates of use for some drugs in 12th grade—inhalants,
cocaine, crack, and crystal methamphetamine. In 8th
grade, they tend to come out highest of the three
racial/ethnic groups on nearly all classes of drugs.
One possible explanation for this change in ranking
between 8th and 12th grade may lie in the
considerably higher school dropout rates of Hispanic
youth: more of the drug-prone segment of that ethnic
group may leave school before 12th grade compared
to the other two racial/ethnic groups. Another
explanation could be that Hispanics are more
precocious in their initiation of these types of
behaviors.
Again, we refer the reader to Occasional Paper 77
(forthcoming) at www.monitoringthefuture.org for a
much more complete picture of these complex
subgroup differences and how they have changed
over the years.
Race/Ethnicity
Among the most dramatic and interesting subgroup
differences are those found among the three largest
45
46
TABLE 1
Trends in Lifetime Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs for Grades 8, 10, and 12 Combined
(Entries are percentages.)
Peak year–2011 change
Any Illicit Drug
Any Illicit Drug other than Marijuana
Any Illicit Drug including Inhalants
Marijuana/Hashish
Inhalants
Hallucinogens
LSD
Hallucinogens other than LSD
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Cocaine
Crack
Other cocaine
Heroin
With a needle
Without a needle
Amphetamines
Methamphetamine
Tranquilizers
Alcohol
Been drunk
Flavored alcoholic beverages
Cigarettes
Smokeless Tobacco
Steroids
2010–2011
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
change
Absolute
Proportional
change
change (%)a
30.4
19.7
36.8
22.7
17.0
6.1
5.5
2.4
―
4.6
2.0
4.1
1.1
―
―
12.9
―
5.5
80.1
46.3
―
53.5
―
1.9
-8.6
-7.0
-9.5
-6.8
-8.8
-3.5
-6.3
-1.8
-2.5
-3.7
-2.2
-3.2
-1.0
-0.5
-0.9
-7.0
-4.7
-1.8
-17.2
-13.8
-10.1
-29.1
-12.6
-1.8
29.8
19.7
36.3
21.1
16.9
6.3
5.7
2.5
―
4.0
1.9
3.5
1.3
―
―
12.5
―
5.3
79.2‡
44.9
―
53.0
26.2
1.8
32.1
21.2
38.8
23.4
18.2
7.0
6.5
2.7
―
4.1
2.0
3.6
1.3
―
―
13.8
―
5.4
68.4
44.6
―
54.0
25.6
1.8
35.7
22.0
41.9
27.8
18.6
7.7
6.9
3.6
―
4.5
2.5
3.9
1.6
―
―
14.3
―
5.5
68.4
44.3
―
54.6
26.3
2.1
38.9 42.2 43.3
23.6 24.2 24.0
44.9 47.4 48.2
31.6 35.6 37.8
19.4 19.1 18.6
8.9 10.0 10.2
8.1
8.9
9.1
3.9
4.8 4.9
―
4.9
5.2
5.1
6.0
6.6
2.8
3.2
3.4
4.2
5.2
5.9
1.9
2.1
2.1
1.1
1.2
1.1
1.3
1.7
1.7
15.2 15.5 15.2
―
―
―
5.8
6.5
6.6
68.2 68.4 68.8
44.5 45.1 45.7
―
―
―
55.8 57.8 57.4
26.0 25.7 22.7
2.1
1.8
2.1
42.3
23.1
47.4
36.5
18.1
9.5
8.3
4.8
4.5
7.0
3.8
6.1
2.2
1.1
1.6
14.5
―
6.9
67.4
44.0
―
56.0
21.1
2.3
41.9
22.7
46.9
36.4
17.5
9.0
7.9
4.4
5.3
7.2
3.8
6.3
2.2
1.3
1.6
14.0
6.5
7.0
66.4
43.7
―
54.5
19.4
2.8
41.0
22.1‡
46.2
35.3
16.4
8.5‡
7.2
4.5‡
7.2
6.5
3.5
5.6
2.1
1.0
1.8
13.5
6.2
6.9‡
66.6
44.0
―
51.8
17.9
3.0
40.9
23.2
45.5
35.3
15.3
9.2
6.5
6.7
8.0
5.9
3.2
5.1
1.7
0.9
1.3
13.9
5.8
7.9
65.5
43.4
―
49.1
16.6
3.3
39.5
21.1
43.7
34.0
13.6
7.6
5.0
6.0
6.9
5.7
3.2
4.8
1.7
0.9
1.3
13.1
5.3
7.9
62.7
40.5
―
44.2
15.2
3.3
37.5
19.8
41.9
32.4
13.4
6.9
3.7
5.8
5.4
5.3
2.9
4.5
1.5
0.9
1.3
11.8
5.0
7.3
61.7
38.9
―
40.8
14.1
3.0
36.4
19.3
41.3
31.4
13.7
6.3
3.0
5.6
4.7
5.5
2.9
4.7
1.5
0.9
1.2
11.2
4.5
7.1
60.5
39.4
54.7
39.6
13.6
2.5
35.7
18.6
41.0
30.8
14.1
5.9
2.6
5.4
4.0
5.5
2.8
4.7
1.5
0.9
1.1
10.3
3.9
6.8
58.6
38.4
54.7
37.4
13.8
2.1
34.0
18.2
39.3
28.9
13.7
5.7
2.5
5.2
4.3
5.3
2.6
4.7
1.4
0.9
1.0
10.1
3.4
7.0
57.0
37.6
53.1
35.0
13.3
2.0
32.7
17.7
38.0
27.9
13.5
5.8
2.6
5.1
4.5
5.2
2.5
4.6
1.4
0.8
1.0
9.5
2.5
6.7
56.3
36.6
51.3
33.3
12.9
1.8
32.6
16.8
37.9
27.9
13.1
5.6
2.7
4.8
4.1
4.8
2.2
4.1
1.3
0.8
0.9
8.6
2.5
6.3
55.1
35.1
49.3
31.3
12.3
1.6
33.2
16.5
37.9
29.0
12.5
5.3
2.5
4.7
4.6
4.2
2.0
3.7
1.4
0.8
0.9
8.6
2.2
6.5
54.6
35.9
47.9
31.2
13.5
1.5
34.4
16.8
38.8
30.4
12.1
5.8
2.8
5.0
5.5
3.8
1.9
3.4
1.4
0.9
1.0
8.9
2.2
6.6
53.6
34.2
46.7
30.9
14.5
1.5
34.7
16.1
38.7
31.0
10.6
5.7
2.7
4.9
5.5
3.4
1.6
3.1
1.2
0.8
0.9
8.6
1.8
6.0
51.5
32.5
44.5
28.7
13.8
1.5
+0.3
-0.6
-0.2
+0.6
-1.4
-0.1
-0.1
-0.1
+0.0
-0.4
-0.2
-0.3
-0.1
-0.1
-0.1
-0.4
-0.4
-0.5
-2.1
-1.8
-2.1
-2.2
-0.7
-0.1
sss
s
ss
s
s
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
-19.9
-30.3
-19.7
-17.9
-45.2
-38.1
-69.8
-26.2
-30.9
-52.0
-57.1
-50.9
-44.0
-35.6
-49.6
-44.8
-72.4
-23.1
-25.0
-29.8
-18.5
-50.3
-47.7
-55.4
Low year–2011 change
Absolute Proportional
change
change
+2.1 ss
+6.5
―
―
+0.8
+2.0
+3.1 sss
+11.2
―
―
+0.4
+7.1
+0.2
+9.7
+0.2
+4.8
+1.6 sss
+39.3
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
+1.5
+11.8
―
―
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes. Level of significance of difference between classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. Values in bold equal peak levels since 1991. ' – ' indicates data not available.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding. ' ‡ ' indicates a change in the question text.
Values in italics equal peak level before wording change. When a question change occurs, peak levels after that change are used to calculate the peak year to current year difference. Underlined values equal lowest level since recent peak level (value in bold).
a
The proportional change is the percent by which the most recent year deviates from the peak year for the drug in question. So, if a drug was at 20% prevalence in the peak year and declined to 10% prevalence in the
most recent year, that would reflect a proportional decline of 50%.
TABLE 2
Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs for Grades 8, 10, and 12 Combined
(Entries are percentages.)
Any Illicit Drug
Any Illicit Drug other than Marijuana
Any Illicit Drug including Inhalants
Marijuana/Hashish
Inhalants
Hallucinogens
LSD
Hallucinogens other than LSD
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Salvia
Cocaine
Crack
Other cocaine
Heroin
With a needle
Without a needle
OxyContin
Vicodin
Amphetamines
Ritalin
Adderall
Methamphetamine
Tranquilizers
OTC Cough/Cold Medicines
Rohypnol
GHB
Ketamine
Alcohol
Been drunk
Flavored alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages containing caffeine
Steroids
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
20.2
12.0
23.5
15.0
7.6
3.8
3.4
1.3
―
―
2.2
1.0
2.0
0.5
―
―
―
―
7.5
―
―
―
2.8
―
―
―
―
67.4
35.8
―
―
1.2
19.7
12.0
23.2
14.3
7.8
4.1
3.8
1.4
―
―
2.1
1.1
1.8
0.6
―
―
―
―
7.3
―
―
―
2.8
―
―
―
―
66.3‡
34.3
―
―
1.1
23.2
13.6
26.7
17.7
8.9
4.8
4.3
1.7
―
―
2.3
1.2
2.0
0.6
―
―
―
―
8.4
―
―
―
2.9
―
―
―
―
59.7
34.3
―
―
1.0
27.6
14.6
31.1
22.5
9.6
5.2
4.7
2.2
―
―
2.8
1.5
2.3
0.9
―
―
―
―
9.1
―
―
―
3.1
―
―
―
―
60.5
35.0
―
―
1.2
31.0
16.4
34.1
26.1
10.2
6.6
5.9
2.7
―
―
3.3
1.8
2.8
1.2
0.7
0.9
―
―
10.0
―
―
―
3.7
―
―
―
―
60.4
35.9
―
―
1.3
33.6
17.0
36.6
29.0
9.9
7.2
6.3
3.2
3.1
―
4.0
2.0
3.4
1.3
0.7
0.9
―
―
10.4
―
―
―
4.1
―
1.1
―
―
60.9
36.7
―
―
1.1
34.1
16.8
36.7
30.1
9.1
6.9
6.0
3.2
3.4
―
4.3
2.1
3.7
1.3
0.7
1.0
―
―
10.1
―
―
―
4.1
―
1.1
―
―
61.4
36.9
―
―
1.2
32.2
15.8
35.0
28.2
8.5
6.3
5.3
3.1
2.9
―
4.5
2.4
3.7
1.2
0.7
0.9
―
―
9.3
―
―
―
4.4
―
1.1
―
―
59.7
35.5
―
―
1.3
31.9
15.6
34.6
27.9
7.9
6.1
5.3
2.9
3.7
―
4.5
2.2
4.0
1.3
0.7
1.0
―
―
9.0
―
―
4.1
4.4
―
0.8
―
―
59.0
36.0
―
―
1.7
31.4
15.3‡
34.1
27.2
7.7
5.4‡
4.5
2.8‡
5.3
―
3.9
2.1
3.3
1.3
0.5
1.1
―
―
9.2
―
―
3.5
4.5 ‡
―
0.7
1.4
2.0
59.3
35.9
―
―
1.9
31.8
16.3
34.3
27.5
6.9
6.0
4.1
4.0
6.0
―
3.5
1.8
3.0
0.9
0.5
0.7
―
―
9.6
4.2
―
3.4
5.5
―
0.9‡
1.2
1.9
58.2
35.0
―
―
2.0
30.2
14.6
32.3
26.1
6.1
4.5
2.4
3.7
4.9
―
3.7
2.0
3.1
1.0
0.5
0.7
2.7
6.0
8.9
3.8
―
3.2
5.3
―
0.8
1.2
2.0
55.3
32.1
―
―
2.0
28.4
13.7
30.8
24.6
6.2
4.1
1.6
3.6
3.1
―
3.3
1.8
2.8
0.8
0.5
0.6
3.2
6.6
8.0
3.5
―
3.0
4.8
―
0.8
1.2
1.7
54.4
31.2
―
―
1.7
27.6
13.5
30.1
23.8
6.7
4.0
1.6
3.6
2.6
―
3.5
1.7
3.1
0.9
0.5
0.7
3.3
5.8
7.6
3.6
―
2.6
4.8
―
0.9
1.1
1.3
54.0
32.5
44.5
―
1.6
27.1
13.1
30.1
23.4
7.0
3.9
1.5
3.4
2.4
―
3.5
1.6
3.0
0.8
0.5
0.7
3.4
5.7
7.0
3.3
―
2.4
4.7
―
0.8
0.8
1.0
51.9
30.8
43.9
―
1.3
25.8
12.7
28.7
22.0
6.9
3.6
1.4
3.3
2.7
―
3.5
1.5
3.1
0.8
0.5
0.6
3.5
6.3
6.8
3.5
―
2.0
4.6
5.4
0.7
0.9
1.1
50.7
30.7
42.4
―
1.3
24.8
12.4
27.6
21.4
6.4
3.8
1.7
3.3
3.0
―
3.4
1.5
2.9
0.8
0.5
0.7
3.5
6.2
6.5
2.8
―
1.4
4.5
5.0
0.8
0.7
1.0
50.2
29.7
40.8
―
1.1
24.9
11.9
27.6
21.5
6.4
3.8
1.9
3.2
2.9
―
2.9
1.3
2.6
0.8
0.5
0.6
3.4
6.1
5.8
2.6
―
1.3
4.3
4.7
0.7
0.9
1.2
48.7
28.1
39.0
―
1.1
25.9
11.6
28.5
22.9
6.1
3.5
1.6
3.0
3.0
―
2.5
1.2
2.1
0.8
0.5
0.5
3.9
6.5
5.9
2.5
4.3
1.3
4.5
5.2
0.6
0.9
1.3
48.4
28.7
37.8
―
1.0
27.3
11.8
29.7
24.5
6.0
3.8
1.8
3.3
3.8
3.5
2.2
1.1
1.9
0.8
0.6
0.6
3.8
5.9
6.2
2.2
4.5
1.3
4.4
4.8
0.8
0.8
1.2
47.4
27.1
35.9
―
0.9
27.6
11.3
29.8
25.0
5.0
3.7
1.8
3.1
3.7
3.6
2.0
1.0
1.7
0.7
0.5
0.5
3.4
5.1
5.9
2.1
4.1
1.2
3.9
4.4
0.9
0.8
1.2
45.3
25.9
33.7
19.7
0.9
2010–2011
change
+0.3
-0.5
+0.2
+0.5
-0.9
-0.1
-0.0
-0.1
-0.1
+0.1
-0.2
-0.2
-0.1
-0.1
-0.0
-0.1
-0.4
-0.8
-0.3
-0.1
-0.5
-0.1
-0.5
-0.4
+0.1
-0.0
-0.1
-2.2
-1.3
-2.2
―
-0.0
ss
s
s
s
sss
s
s
Peak year–2011 change Low year–2011 change
Absolute Proportional Absolute Proportional
change
-6.5
-5.1
-6.9
-5.1
-5.1
-2.3
-4.5
-0.9
-2.3
―
-2.5
-1.4
-2.2
-0.6
-0.2
-0.6
-0.5
-1.4
-4.5
-2.1
-0.5
-2.9
-1.6
-0.9
-0.0
-0.6
-0.8
-16.1
-11.0
-10.7
―
-1.1
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
s
sss
ss
sss
sss
s
sss
sss
ss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
change (%)a
-19.1
-31.0
-18.9
-16.9
-50.5
-38.0
-71.2
-23.3
-38.5
―
-55.3
-60.2
-56.2
-43.9
-25.1
-52.2
-12.0
-21.6
-43.0
-49.2
-10.3
-71.5
-29.0
-17.2
-5.2
-41.5
-39.9
-26.2
-29.9
-24.2
―
-53.8
change
+2.7 sss
―
+2.2 ss
+3.6 sss
―
+0.2
+0.4 s
+0.1
+1.3 sss
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
+0.1
―
―
―
―
―
change
+11.0
―
+7.9
+16.9
―
+6.0
+29.3
+3.5
+55.6
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
+2.0
―
―
―
―
―
―
+0.2
―
―
―
―
―
―
+16.9
―
―
―
―
―
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes. Level of significance of difference between classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. Values in bold equal peak levels since 1991. ' – ' indicates data not available.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding. ' ‡ ' indicates a change in the question text.
Values in italics equal peak level before wording change. When a question change occurs, peak levels after that change are used to calculate the peak year to current year difference. Underlined values equal lowest level since recent peak level (value in bold).
The proportional change is the percent by which the most recent year deviates from the peak year for the drug in question. So, if a drug was at 20% prevalence in the peak year and declined to 10% prevalence in the
a
most recent year, that would reflect a proportional decline of 50%.
47
48
TABLE 3
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs for Grades 8, 10, and 12 Combined
(Entries are percentages.)
Any Illicit Drug
Any Illicit Drug other than Marijuana
Any Illicit Drug including Inhalants
Marijuana/Hashish
Inhalants
Hallucinogens
LSD
Hallucinogens other than LSD
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Cocaine
Crack
Other cocaine
Heroin
With a needle
Without a needle
Amphetamines
Methamphetamine
Tranquilizers
Alcohol
Been drunk
Flavored alcoholic beverages
Cigarettes
Smokeless Tobacco
Steroids
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
10.9
5.4
13.0
8.3
3.2
1.5
1.3
0.5
―
0.8
0.4
0.7
0.2
―
―
3.0
―
1.1
39.8
19.2
―
20.7
―
0.6
10.5
5.5
12.5
7.7
3.3
1.6
1.5
0.5
―
0.9
0.5
0.7
0.3
―
―
3.3
―
1.1
38.4‡
17.8
―
21.2
9.2
0.6
13.3
6.5
15.4
10.2
3.8
1.9
1.6
0.7
―
0.9
0.5
0.8
0.3
―
―
3.9
―
1.1
36.3
18.2
―
23.4
9.1
0.6
16.8
7.1
18.9
13.9
4.0
2.2
1.9
1.0
―
1.2
0.7
1.1
0.4
―
―
4.0
―
1.3
37.6
19.3
―
24.7
9.7
0.7
18.6
8.4
20.7
15.6
4.3
3.1
2.8
1.0
―
1.5
0.8
1.2
0.6
0.3
0.4
4.5
―
1.6
37.8
20.3
―
26.6
9.6
0.6
20.6
8.4
22.4
17.7
3.9
2.7
2.1
1.2
1.5
1.7
0.9
1.3
0.6
0.4
0.4
4.8
―
1.7
38.8
20.4
―
28.3
8.5
0.5
20.5
8.4
22.2
17.9
3.7
3.0
2.4
1.2
1.3
1.8
0.8
1.5
0.6
0.3
0.5
4.5
―
1.7
38.6
21.2
―
28.3
8.0
0.7
19.5
8.2
21.1
16.9
3.4
2.8
2.3
1.2
1.2
1.9
1.0
1.6
0.6
0.4
0.4
4.3
―
1.9
37.4
20.4
―
27.0
7.0
0.7
19.5
7.9
21.1
16.9
3.3
2.5
2.0
1.1
1.6
1.9
0.9
1.7
0.6
0.3
0.4
4.2
1.5
1.9
37.2
20.6
―
25.2
6.3
0.9
19.2
8.0‡
21.0
16.3
3.2
2.0‡
1.4
1.1‡
2.4
1.7
0.9
1.4
0.6
0.3
0.4
4.5
1.5
2.1 ‡
36.6
20.3
―
22.6
5.8
0.9
19.4
8.2
20.8
16.6
2.8
2.3
1.5
1.4
2.4
1.5
0.9
1.3
0.4
0.3
0.3
4.7
1.4
2.3
35.5
19.7
―
20.2
6.1
0.9
18.2
7.7
19.5
15.3
2.7
1.7
0.7
1.4
1.8
1.6
1.0
1.3
0.5
0.3
0.4
4.4
1.5
2.4
33.3
17.4
―
17.7
5.2
1.0
17.3
7.1
18.6
14.8
2.7
1.5
0.6
1.2
1.0
1.4
0.8
1.2
0.4
0.3
0.3
3.9
1.4
2.2
33.2
17.7
―
16.6
5.3
0.9
16.2
7.0
17.5
13.6
2.9
1.5
0.6
1.3
0.9
1.6
0.8
1.4
0.5
0.3
0.3
3.6
1.1
2.1
32.9
18.1
23.0
16.1
5.1
0.9
15.8
6.7
17.5
13.4
2.9
1.5
0.6
1.2
0.9
1.6
0.8
1.3
0.5
0.3
0.3
3.3
0.9
2.1
31.4
17.0
21.6
15.3
5.3
0.7
14.9
6.4
16.5
12.5
2.7
1.3
0.6
1.1
1.0
1.6
0.7
1.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
3.0
0.7
2.1
31.0
17.4
21.7
14.4
5.1
0.7
14.8
6.4
16.5
12.4
2.6
1.4
0.6
1.1
1.1
1.4
0.7
1.1
0.4
0.3
0.3
3.2
0.5
2.0
30.1
16.5
20.4
13.6
5.2
0.6
14.6
5.9
16.1
12.5
2.6
1.4
0.7
1.1
1.2
1.3
0.6
1.1
0.4
0.3
0.2
2.6
0.7
1.9
28.1
14.9
18.6
12.6
4.9
0.6
15.8
5.7
17.3
13.8
2.5
1.3
0.5
1.0
1.2
1.0
0.5
0.8
0.4
0.2
0.2
2.7
0.5
1.9
28.4
15.2
17.9
12.7
6.0
0.6
16.7
5.7
18.0
14.8
2.4
1.4
0.7
1.2
1.5
0.9
0.5
0.8
0.4
0.3
0.3
2.7
0.6
1.9
26.8
14.6
17.0
12.8
6.5
0.6
17.0
5.7
18.3
15.2
2.1
1.3
0.7
1.0
1.4
0.8
0.5
0.7
0.4
0.3
0.3
2.8
0.5
1.7
25.5
13.5
15.2
11.7
5.9
0.5
2010–2011
change
+0.3
-0.1
+0.3
+0.4
-0.3
-0.1
-0.0
-0.1
-0.1
-0.0
-0.1
-0.0
-0.0
-0.1
-0.0
+0.0
-0.1
-0.2
-1.3
-1.1
-1.8
-1.1
-0.6
-0.1
s
s
s
ss
ss
Peak year–2011 change
Absolute
Proportional
change
-3.6
-2.5
-4.1
-2.7
-2.2
-0.9
-2.1
-0.4
-0.9
-1.0
-0.5
-0.9
-0.2
-0.1
-0.2
-2.0
-1.0
-0.7
-13.3
-7.7
-7.8
-16.6
-3.8
-0.5
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
ss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
change (%)a
-17.6
-30.7
-18.2
-15.2
-51.6
-41.5
-76.1
-28.8
-40.2
-54.6
-58.2
-56.3
-30.5
-23.9
-43.7
-43.2
-67.8
-29.8
-34.2
-36.3
-33.8
-58.8
-39.0
-49.0
Low year–2011 change
Absolute Proportional
change
change
+2.3 sss
+16.0
―
―
+2.2 sss
+13.5
+2.8 sss
+22.8
―
―
―
―
+0.2
+31.9
―
―
+0.6 sss
+64.9
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
+0.1
+40.0
+0.1
+32.2
+0.2
+6.8
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
+1.0
+21.4
―
―
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes. Level of significance of difference between classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. Values in bold equal peak levels since 1991. ' – ' indicates data not available.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding. ' ‡ ' indicates a change in the question text.
Values in italics equal peak level before wording change. When a question change occurs, peak levels after that change are used to calculate the peak year to current year difference. Underlined values equal lowest level since recent peak level (value in bold).
a
The proportional change is the percent by which the most recent year deviates from the peak year for the drug in question. So, if a drug was at 20% prevalence in the peak year and declined to 10% prevalence in the
most recent year, that would reflect a proportional decline of 50%.
TABLE 4
Trends in Daily Prevalence of Use of Selected Drugs for Grades 8, 10, and 12 Combined
(Entries are percentages.)
2010–2011
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
change
Marijuana
Alcohol
5+ drinks in a row in last 2 weeks
Been drunk
Cigarettes
1/2 pack+/day
Smokeless tobacco
Source.
Notes.
0.9
1.7
20.0
0.4
12.4
6.5
―
0.9
1.2
1.6‡ 2.0
19.0 19.5
0.4
0.5
11.9 13.5
6.1
6.9
3.0
2.7
2.1
1.8
20.3
0.6
14.0
7.2
2.9
2.7
1.9
21.1
0.7
15.5
7.9
2.5
3.2
2.0
21.9
0.7
16.8
8.7
2.3
3.4
2.1
21.9
0.9
16.9
8.6
2.5
3.4
2.2
21.5
0.8
15.4
7.9
2.1
3.5
2.0
21.7
0.9
15.0
7.6
1.7
3.5
1.7
21.2
0.8
13.4
6.4
1.9
3.7
2.0
20.4
0.7
11.6
5.7
2.0
3.5
1.9
18.9
0.6
10.2
4.9
1.4
3.4
1.7
18.6
0.7
9.3
4.5
1.6
3.0
1.5
18.8
0.7
9.0
4.1
1.7
2.9
1.5
17.5
0.6
8.0
3.7
1.6
2.8
1.5
17.4
0.7
7.6
3.4
1.5
2.7
1.6
17.2
0.6
7.1
3.0
1.6
2.8
1.4
15.5
0.6
6.4
2.7
1.6
2.8
1.3
16.1
0.5
6.4
2.6
1.8
3.4
1.4
14.9
0.6
6.4
2.5
2.1
3.6
1.0
13.6
0.5
5.7
2.1
1.8
+0.2
-0.3
-1.3
-0.1
-0.7
-0.4
-0.3
sss
ss
s
s
Peak year–2011 change
Absolute
Proportional
change
-0.1
-1.2
-8.3
-0.4
-11.2
-6.6
-1.2
sss
sss
sss
sss
sss
ss
change (%)a
-2.1
-53.3
-37.8
-44.4
-66.2
-75.5
-40.4
Low year–2011 change
Absolute Proportional
change
change
+0.9 sss
+32.2
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
―
+0.3
+21.8
The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Level of significance of difference between classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. Values in bold equal peak levels since 1991. ' – ' indicates data not available.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding. ' ‡ ' indicates a change in the question text.
Values in italics equal peak level before wording change. When a question change occurs, peak levels after that change are used to calculate the peak year to current year difference. Underlined values equal lowest level since recent peak level (value in bold).
a
The proportional change is the percent by which the most recent year deviates from the peak year for the drug in question. So, if a drug was at 20% prevalence in the peak year and declined to 10% prevalence in the
most recent year, that would reflect a proportional decline of 50%.
49
TABLE 5
Trends in Lifetime Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Any Illicit Drug
2011
change
a
8th Grade
18.7
20.6
22.5
25.7
28.5
31.2
29.4
29.0
28.3
26.8
26.8
24.5
22.8
21.5
21.4
20.9
19.0
19.6
19.9
21.4
20.1
-1.3
10th Grade
30.6
29.8
32.8
37.4
40.9
45.4
47.3
44.9
46.2
45.6
45.6
44.6
41.4
39.8
38.2
36.1
35.6
34.1
36.0
37.0
37.7
+0.7
12th Grade
44.1
40.7
42.9
45.6
48.4
50.8
54.3
54.1
54.7
54.0
53.9
53.0
51.1
51.1
50.4
48.2
46.8
47.4
46.7
48.2
49.9
+1.7
8th Grade
14.3
15.6
16.8
17.5
18.8
19.2
17.7
16.9
16.3
15.8‡ 17.0
13.7
13.6
12.2
12.1
12.2
11.1
11.2
10.4
10.6
9.8
-0.8
10th Grade
19.1
19.2
20.9
21.7
24.3
25.5
25.0
23.6
24.0
23.1‡ 23.6
22.1
19.7
18.8
18.0
17.5
18.2
15.9
16.7
16.8
15.6
-1.2
12th Grade
26.9
25.1
26.7
27.6
28.1
28.5
30.0
29.4
29.4
29.0‡ 30.7
29.5
27.7
28.7
27.4
26.9
25.5
24.9
24.0
24.7
24.9
+0.3
8th Grade
28.5
29.6
32.3
35.1
38.1
39.4
38.1
37.8
37.2
35.1
34.5
31.6
30.3
30.2
30.0
29.2
27.7
28.3
27.9
28.6
26.4
-2.1 s
10th Grade
36.1
36.2
38.7
42.7
45.9
49.8
50.9
49.3
49.9
49.3
48.8
47.7
44.9
43.1
42.1
40.1
39.8
38.7
40.0
40.6
40.8
+0.3
12th Grade
47.6
44.4
46.6
49.1
51.5
53.5
56.3
56.1
56.3
57.0
56.0
54.6
52.8
53.0
53.5
51.2
49.1
49.3
48.4
49.9
51.8
+1.9
8th Grade
10.2
11.2
12.6
16.7
19.9
23.1
22.6
22.2
22.0
20.3
20.4
19.2
17.5
16.3
16.5
15.7
14.2
14.6
15.7
17.3
16.4
-0.9
10th Grade
23.4
21.4
24.4
30.4
34.1
39.8
42.3
39.6
40.9
40.3
40.1
38.7
36.4
35.1
34.1
31.8
31.0
29.9
32.3
33.4
34.5
+1.2
12th Grade
36.7
32.6
35.3
38.2
41.7
44.9
49.6
49.1
49.7
48.8
49.0
47.8
46.1
45.7
44.8
42.3
41.8
42.6
42.0
43.8
45.5
+1.7
8th Grade
17.6
17.4
19.4
19.9
21.6
21.2
21.0
20.5
19.7
17.9
17.1
15.2
15.8
17.3
17.1
16.1
15.6
15.7
14.9
14.5
13.1
-1.4
10th Grade
15.7
16.6
17.5
18.0
19.0
19.3
18.3
18.3
17.0
16.6
15.2
13.5
12.7
12.4
13.1
13.3
13.6
12.8
12.3
12.0
10.1
12th Grade
17.6
16.6
17.4
17.7
17.4
16.6
16.1
15.2
15.4
14.2
13.0
11.7
11.2
10.9
11.4
11.1
10.5
9.9
9.5
9.0
8.1
-0.9
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.7
1.5
1.8
2.0
2.7
1.7
0.8
1.9
1.5
1.6
1.3
1.1
1.2
1.2
0.6
1.1
—
—
—
Any Illicit Drug other
than Marijuana
a,b
Any Illicit Drug
including Inhalants
a,c
Marijuana/Hashish
Inhalants c,d
Nitrites
-2.0 ss
e
Hallucinogens b,f
8th Grade
3.2
3.8
3.9
4.3
5.2
5.9
5.4
4.9
4.8
4.6‡
5.2
4.1
4.0
3.5
3.8
3.4
3.1
3.3
3.0
3.4
3.3
0.0
10th Grade
6.1
6.4
6.8
8.1
9.3
10.5
10.5
9.8
9.7
8.9‡
8.9
7.8
6.9
6.4
5.8
6.1
6.4
5.5
6.1
6.1
6.0
-0.1
12th Grade
9.6
9.2
10.9
11.4
12.7
14.0
15.1
14.1
13.7
13.0‡ 14.7
12.0
10.6
9.7
8.8
8.3
8.4
8.7
7.4
8.6
8.3
-0.2
LSD
8th Grade
2.7
3.2
3.5
3.7
4.4
5.1
4.7
4.1
4.1
3.9
3.4
2.5
2.1
1.8
1.9
1.6
1.6
1.9
1.7
1.8
1.7
-0.1
10th Grade
5.6
5.8
6.2
7.2
8.4
9.4
9.5
8.5
8.5
7.6
6.3
5.0
3.5
2.8
2.5
2.7
3.0
2.6
3.0
3.0
2.8
-0.2
12th Grade
8.8
8.6
10.3
10.5
11.7
12.6
13.6
12.6
12.2
11.1
10.9
8.4
5.9
4.6
3.5
3.3
3.4
4.0
3.1
4.0
4.0
0.0
+0.1
Hallucinogens
other than LSD
b
8th Grade
1.4
1.7
1.7
2.2
2.5
3.0
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3‡
3.9
3.3
3.2
3.0
3.3
2.8
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.7
2.8
10th Grade
2.2
2.5
2.8
3.8
3.9
4.7
4.8
5.0
4.7
4.8‡
6.6
6.3
5.9
5.8
5.2
5.5
5.7
4.8
5.4
5.3
5.2
-0.1
12th Grade
3.7
3.3
3.9
4.9
5.4
6.8
7.5
7.1
6.7
6.9‡ 10.4
9.2
9.0
8.7
8.1
7.8
7.7
7.8
6.8
7.7
7.3
-0.3
(Table continued on next page.)
50
TABLE 5 (cont.)
Trends in Lifetime Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
PCP
2011
change
e
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
2.9
2.4
2.9
2.8
2.7
4.0
3.9
3.9
3.4
3.4
3.5
3.1
2.5
1.6
2.4
2.2
2.1
1.8
1.7
1.8
2.3
+0.5
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
3.4
3.2
2.7
2.7
4.3
5.2
4.3
3.2
2.8
2.8
2.5
2.3
2.4
2.2
3.3
2.6
-0.7
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
5.6
5.7
5.1
6.0
7.3
8.0
6.6
5.4
4.3
4.0
4.5
5.2
4.3
5.5
6.4
6.6
+0.2
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
6.1
6.9
5.8
8.0
11.0
11.7
10.5
8.3
7.5
5.4
6.5
6.5
6.2
6.5
7.3
8.0
+0.7
Ecstasy (MDMA)
—
g
Cocaine
8th Grade
2.3
2.9
2.9
3.6
4.2
4.5
4.4
4.6
4.7
4.5
4.3
3.6
3.6
3.4
3.7
3.4
3.1
3.0
2.6
2.6
2.2
-0.3
10th Grade
4.1
3.3
3.6
4.3
5.0
6.5
7.1
7.2
7.7
6.9
5.7
6.1
5.1
5.4
5.2
4.8
5.3
4.5
4.6
3.7
3.3
-0.5
12th Grade
7.8
6.1
6.1
5.9
6.0
7.1
8.7
9.3
9.8
8.6
8.2
7.8
7.7
8.1
8.0
8.5
7.8
7.2
6.0
5.5
5.2
-0.3
Crack
8th Grade
1.3
1.6
1.7
2.4
2.7
2.9
2.7
3.2
3.1
3.1
3.0
2.5
2.5
2.4
2.4
2.3
2.1
2.0
1.7
1.5
1.5
-0.1
10th Grade
1.7
1.5
1.8
2.1
2.8
3.3
3.6
3.9
4.0
3.7
3.1
3.6
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.2
2.3
2.0
2.1
1.8
1.6
-0.1
12th Grade
3.1
2.6
2.6
3.0
3.0
3.3
3.9
4.4
4.6
3.9
3.7
3.8
3.6
3.9
3.5
3.5
3.2
2.8
2.4
2.4
1.9
-0.5 s
Other Cocaine h
8th Grade
2.0
2.4
2.4
3.0
3.4
3.8
3.5
3.7
3.8
3.5
3.3
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.9
2.7
2.6
2.4
2.1
2.1
1.8
-0.3
10th Grade
3.8
3.0
3.3
3.8
4.4
5.5
6.1
6.4
6.8
6.0
5.0
5.2
4.5
4.8
4.6
4.3
4.8
4.0
4.1
3.4
3.0
-0.4
12th Grade
7.0
5.3
5.4
5.2
5.1
6.4
8.2
8.4
8.8
7.7
7.4
7.0
6.7
7.3
7.1
7.9
6.8
6.5
5.3
5.1
4.9
-0.3
Heroin i
8th Grade
1.2
1.4
1.4
2.0
2.3
2.4
2.1
2.3
2.3
1.9
1.7
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.2
-0.1
10th Grade
1.2
1.2
1.3
1.5
1.7
2.1
2.1
2.3
2.3
2.2
1.7
1.8
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.5
1.2
1.5
1.3
1.2
-0.1
12th Grade
0.9
1.2
1.1
1.2
1.6
1.8
2.1
2.0
2.0
2.4
1.8
1.7
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.5
1.3
1.2
1.6
1.4
-0.1
-0.1
With a Needle
j
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
1.5
1.6
1.3
1.4
1.6
1.1
1.2
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.8
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
1.0
1.1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.0
0.8
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.9
0.7
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.0
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.7
0.8
0.9
0.8
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.6
1.1
0.9
-0.2
Without a Needle
j
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
1.5
1.6
1.4
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.1
1.0
1.1
1.0
0.9
0.9
0.7
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.7
-0.1
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
1.1
1.7
1.7
1.7
1.6
1.7
1.3
1.3
1.0
1.1
1.1
1.0
1.1
0.8
1.0
0.9
0.8
-0.1
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
1.4
1.7
2.1
1.6
1.8
2.4
1.5
1.6
1.8
1.4
1.3
1.1
1.4
1.1
0.9
1.4
1.3
-0.1
Narcotics other than Heroin
k,l
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
6.6
6.1
6.4
6.6
7.2
8.2
9.7
9.8
10.2
10.6
9.9‡ 13.5
13.2
13.5
12.8
13.4
13.1
13.2
13.2
13.0
13.0
0.0
(Table continued on next page.)
51
TABLE 5 (cont.)
Trends in Lifetime Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2011
change
8th Grade
10.5
10.8
11.8
12.3
13.1
13.5
12.3
11.3
10.7
9.9
10.2
8.7
8.4
7.5
7.4
7.3
6.5
6.8
6.0
5.7
5.2
-0.5
10th Grade
13.2
13.1
14.9
15.1
17.4
17.7
17.0
16.0
15.7
15.7
16.0
14.9
13.1
11.9
11.1
11.2
11.1
9.0
10.3
10.6
9.0
12th Grade
15.4
13.9
15.1
15.7
15.3
15.3
16.5
16.4
16.3
15.6
16.2
16.8
14.4
15.0
13.1
12.4
11.4
10.5
9.9
11.1
12.2
+1.1
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
4.5
4.2
4.4
3.5
3.9
2.5
3.1
2.7
1.8
2.3
1.6
1.8
1.3
-0.5
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
7.3
6.9
6.4
6.1
5.2
5.3
4.1
3.2
2.8
2.4
2.8
2.5
2.1
-0.4
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
8.2
7.9
6.9
6.7
6.2
6.2
4.5
4.4
3.0
2.8
2.4
2.3
2.1
-0.2
—
Amphetamines k,m
Methamphetamine
-1.5 s
n,o
Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice) o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
3.3
2.9
3.1
3.4
3.9
4.4
4.4
5.3
4.8
4.0
4.1
4.7
3.9
4.0
4.0
3.4
3.4
2.8
2.1
1.8
2.1
+0.3
—
Sedatives (Barbiturates)
k,p
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
6.2
5.5
6.3
7.0
7.4
7.6
8.1
8.7
8.9
9.2
8.7
9.5
8.8
9.9
10.5
10.2
9.3
8.5
8.2
7.5
7.0
-0.5
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
1.3
1.6
0.8
1.4
1.2
2.0
1.7
1.6
1.8
0.8
1.1
1.5
1.0
1.3
1.3
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.7
0.4
0.6
+0.2
Methaqualone e,k
Tranquilizers b,k
8th Grade
3.8
4.1
4.4
4.6
4.5
5.3
4.8
4.6
4.4
4.4‡
5.0
4.3
4.4
4.0
4.1
4.3
3.9
3.9
3.9
4.4
3.4
-1.0 ss
10th Grade
5.8
5.9
5.7
5.4
6.0
7.1
7.3
7.8
7.9
8.0‡
9.2
8.8
7.8
7.3
7.1
7.2
7.4
6.8
7.0
7.3
6.8
-0.5
12th Grade
7.2
6.0
6.4
6.6
7.1
7.2
7.8
8.5
9.3
8.9‡ 10.3
11.4
10.2
10.6
9.9
10.3
9.5
8.9
9.3
8.5
8.7
+0.1
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
24.0
23.9
22.2
21.5
20.9
21.6
21.7
+0.1
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
1.5
1.1
1.4
1.3
1.0
1.1
0.8
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.0
1.0
0.7
0.7
0.9
2.0
+1.0 s
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
1.5
1.7
2.0
1.8
1.3
1.5
1.3
1.0
1.2
1.0
0.8
1.3
0.9
0.7
1.4
1.2
-0.2
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
1.2
1.8
3.0
2.0
1.5
1.7
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Any Prescription Drug
Rohypnol
Alcohol
q
r
s
Any Use
8th Grade
70.1
69.3‡ 55.7
55.8
54.5
55.3
53.8
52.5
52.1
51.7
50.5
47.0
45.6
43.9
41.0
40.5
38.9
38.9
36.6
35.8
33.1
-2.7 ss
10th Grade
83.8
82.3‡ 71.6
71.1
70.5
71.8
72.0
69.8
70.6
71.4
70.1
66.9
66.0
64.2
63.2
61.5
61.7
58.3
59.1
58.2
56.0
-2.2 s
12th Grade
88.0
87.5‡ 80.0
80.4
80.7
79.2
81.7
81.4
80.0
80.3
79.7
78.4
76.6
76.8
75.1
72.7
72.2
71.9
72.3
71.0
70.0
-1.0
8th Grade
26.7
26.8
26.4
25.9
25.3
26.8
25.2
24.8
24.8
25.1
23.4
21.3
20.3
19.9
19.5
19.5
17.9
18.0
17.4
16.3
14.8
-1.5
10th Grade
50.0
47.7
47.9
47.2
46.9
48.5
49.4
46.7
48.9
49.3
48.2
44.0
42.4
42.3
42.1
41.4
41.2
37.2
38.6
36.9
35.9
-1.0
12th Grade
65.4
63.4
62.5
62.9
63.2
61.8
64.2
62.4
62.3
62.3
63.9
61.6
58.1
60.3
57.5
56.4
55.1
54.7
56.5
54.1
51.0
-3.0
Been Drunk
o
(Table continued on next page.)
52
TABLE 5 (cont.)
Trends in Lifetime Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2011
change
Flavored Alcoholic
Beverages e,n
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
37.9
35.5
35.5
34.0
32.8
29.4
30.0
27.0
-3.0 s
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
58.6
58.8
58.1
55.7
53.5
51.4
51.3
48.4
-2.8
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
71.0
73.6
69.9
68.4
65.5
67.4
62.6
62.4
-0.2
8th Grade
44.0
45.2
45.3
46.1
46.4
49.2
47.3
45.7
44.1
40.5
36.6
31.4
28.4
27.9
25.9
24.6
22.1
20.5
20.1
20.0
18.4
-1.7
10th Grade
55.1
53.5
56.3
56.9
57.6
61.2
60.2
57.7
57.6
55.1
52.8
47.4
43.0
40.7
38.9
36.1
34.6
31.7
32.7
33.0
30.4
-2.6 s
12th Grade
63.1
61.8
61.9
62.0
64.2
63.5
65.4
65.3
64.6
62.5
61.0
57.2
53.7
52.8
50.0
47.1
46.2
44.7
43.6
42.2
40.0
-2.3 s
8th Grade
22.2
20.7
18.7
19.9
20.0
20.4
16.8
15.0
14.4
12.8
11.7
11.2
11.3
11.0
10.1
10.2
9.1
9.8
9.6
9.9
9.7
-0.2
10th Grade
28.2
26.6
28.1
29.2
27.6
27.4
26.3
22.7
20.4
19.1
19.5
16.9
14.6
13.8
14.5
15.0
15.1
12.2
15.2
16.8
15.6
-1.2
12th Grade
—
32.4
31.0
30.7
30.9
29.8
25.3
26.2
23.4
23.1
19.7
18.3
17.0
16.7
17.5
15.2
15.1
15.6
16.3
17.6
16.9
-0.8
Cigarettes
Any Use
Smokeless Tobacco
Steroids
t
k,u
8th Grade
1.9
1.7
1.6
2.0
2.0
1.8
1.8
2.3
2.7
3.0
2.8
2.5
2.5
1.9
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.1
1.2
+0.1
10th Grade
1.8
1.7
1.7
1.8
2.0
1.8
2.0
2.0
2.7
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.0
2.4
2.0
1.8
1.8
1.4
1.3
1.6
1.4
-0.2
12th Grade
2.1
2.1
2.0
2.4
2.3
1.9
2.4
2.7
2.9
2.5
3.7
4.0
3.5
3.4
2.6
2.7
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.0
1.8
-0.2
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
53
Footnotes for Tables 5 through 8
Approximate
Weighted N s
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
8th Graders
17,500 18,600 18,300 17,300 17,500 17,800 18,600 18,100 16,700 16,700 16,200 15,100 16,500 17,000 16,800 16,500 16,100 15,700 15,000 15,300 16,000
10th Graders
14,800 14,800 15,300 15,800 17,000 15,600 15,500 15,000 13,600 14,300 14,000 14,300 15,800 16,400 16,200 16,200 16,100 15,100 15,900 15,200 14,900
12th Graders
15,000 15,800 16,300 15,400 15,400 14,300 15,400 15,200 13,600 12,800 12,800 12,900 14,600 14,600 14,700 14,200 14,500 14,000 13,700 14,400 14,100
Notes. Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' — ' indicates data not available. ' ‡ ' indicates some change
in the question. See relevant footnote for that drug. Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most
recent years is due to rounding.
a
For 12th graders only: Use of “any illicit drug” includes any use of marijuana, LSD, other hallucinogens, crack, other cocaine, or heroin; or any use of narcotics other than heroin,
amphetamines, sedatives (barbiturates), or tranquilizers not under a doctor’s orders. For 8th and 10th graders only: The use of narcotics other than heroin and sedatives
(barbiturates) has been excluded because these younger respondents appear to overreport use (perhaps because they include the use of nonprescription drugs in their answers).
b
In 2001 the question text was changed on half of the questionnaire forms for each age group. “Other psychedelics” was changed to “other hallucinogens” and “shrooms”
was added to the list of examples. For the tranquilizer list of examples, Miltown was replaced with Xanax. For 8th, 10th, and 12th graders: The 2001 data presented here are
based on the changed forms only; N is one half of N indicated. In 2002 the remaining forms were changed to the new wording. The data are based on all forms beginning
in 2002. Data for any illicit drug other than marijuana and data for hallucinogens are also affected by these changes and have been handled in a parallel manner.
c
For 12th graders only: Data based on five of six forms in 1991–1998; N is five sixths of N indicated. Data based on three of six forms beginning in 1999; N is three sixths of N indicated.
d
Inhalants are unadjusted for underreporting of amyl and butyl nitrites.
e
For 12th graders only: Data based on one of six forms; N is one sixth of N indicated. In 2011 for Flavored Alcoholic Beverages "Skyy Blue" and "Zima" were dropped from the list
of examples. An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording change.
f
Hallucinogens are unadjusted for underreporting of PCP.
g
For 8th and 10th graders only: Data based on one of two forms in 1996; N is one half of N indicated. Data based on one third of N indicated in 1997–2001 due to changes
in the questionnaire forms. Data based on two of four forms beginning in 2002; N is one half of N indicated. For 12th graders only: Data based on one of six forms in
1996–2001; N is one sixth of N indicated. Data based on two of six forms beginning in 2002; N is two sixths of N indicated.
h
For 12th graders only: Data based on four of six forms; N is four sixths of N indicated.
i
In 1995 the heroin question was changed in one of two forms for 8th and 10th graders and in three of six forms for 12th graders. Separate questions were asked for use with
and without injection. In 1996, the heroin question was changed in the remaining 8th- and 10th-grade forms. Data presented here represent the combined data from all forms.
j
For 8th and 10th graders only: Data based on one of two forms in 1995; N is one half of N indicated. Data based on all forms beginning in 1996. For 12th graders only: Data
based on three of six forms; N is three sixths of N indicated.
k
Only drug use not under a doctor’s orders is included here.
l
In 2002 the question text was changed in half of the questionnaire forms. The list of examples of narcotics other than heroin was updated: Talwin, laudanum, and paregoric—
all of which had negligible rates of use by 2001—were replaced with Vicodin, OxyContin, and Percocet. The 2002 data presented here are based on the changed forms only;
N is one half of N indicated. In 2003, the remaining forms were changed to the new wording. The data are based on all forms beginning in 2003.
m
For 8th, 10th, and 12th graders: In 2009, the question text was changed slightly in half of the forms. An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording
change. In 2010 the remaining forms were changed in a like manner. In 2011 the question text was changed slightly in one form; bennies, Benzedrine and Methadrine were
dropped from the list of examples. An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording change.
n
For 8th and 10th graders only: Data based on one of four forms; N is one third of N indicated. In 2011for flavored alcoholic beverages: “Skyy Blue” and “Zima” were dropped from the
list of examples. An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording change.
o
For 12th graders only: Data based on two of six forms; N is two sixths of N indicated. Kreteks based on one of six forms beginning in 2009;N is one sixth N indicated.
p
For 12th graders only: In 2004 the barbiturate question text was changed on half of the questionnaire forms. “Barbiturates” was changed to “Sedatives, including
barbiturates,” and “have you taken barbiturates . . . ” was changed to “have you taken sedatives . . .” In the list of examples “downs, downers, goofballs, yellows, reds, blues, rainbows”
were changed to “downs, or downers, and include Phenobarbital, Tuinal, Nembutal, and Seconal.” An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording
change. In 2005 the remaining forms were changed in a like manner.
q
The use of “any prescription drug” includes use of any of the following: amphetamines, sedatives (barbiturates), narcotics other than heroin, or tranquilizers “…without a doctor telling
you to use them.”
r
For 8th and 10th graders only: Data based on one of two forms in 1996; N is one half of N indicated. Data based on three of four forms in 1997–1998; N is two thirds of N
indicated. Data based on two of four forms in 1999–2001; N is one third of N indicated. Data based on one of four forms beginning in 2002; N is one sixth of N indicated. For
12th graders only: Data based on one of six forms in 1996–2001; N is one sixth of N indicated. Data based on two of six forms in 2002–2009; N is two sixths of N
indicated. Data for 2001 and 2002 are not comparable due to changes in the questionnaire forms. Data based on one of six forms beginning in 2010; N is one sixth of N indicated.
s
For 8th, 10th, and 12th graders: In 1993, the question text was changed slightly in half of the forms to indicate that a “drink” meant “more than just a few sips.” The 1993 data are based
on the changed forms only; N is one half of N indicated for these groups. In 1994 the remaining forms were changed to the new wording. The data are based on all forms beginning
in 1994. In 2004, the question text was changed slightly in half of the forms. An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording change.
The remaining forms were changed in 2005.
t
For 8th and 10th graders only: Data based on one of two forms for 1991–1996 and on two of four forms beginning in 1997; N is one half of N indicated. For 12th graders
only: Data based on one of six forms; N is one sixth of N indicated. For all grades in 2011: “snus” and “dissolvable tobacco” were added to the list of examples. An examination of the
data did not show any effect from the wording change.
u
For 8th and 10th graders only: In 2006, the question text was changed slightly in half of the questionnaire forms. An examination of the data did not show any effect from
the wording change. In 2007 the remaining forms were changed in a like manner. In 2008 the question text was changed slightly in half of the questionnaire forms.
An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording change. In 2009 the remaining forms were changed in a like manner. For 12th graders only: Data based
on two of six forms in 1991–2005; N is two sixths of N indicated. Data based on three of six forms beginning in 2006; N is three sixths of N indicated. In 2006 a slightly altered
version of the question was added to a third form. An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording change. In 2007 the remaining forms were changed
in a like manner. In 2008 the question text was changed slightly in two of the questionnaire forms. An examination of the data did not show any effect from the wording change.
(Footnotes continued on next page.)
54
Footnotes for Tables 5 through 8 (cont.)
In 2009 the remaining form was changed in a like manner.
v
For 12th graders only: Data based on two of six forms in 2002–2005; N is two sixths of N indicated. Data based on three of six forms beginning in 2006; N is three sixths of N indicated.
w
For 12th graders only: Data based on two of six forms in 2000; N is two sixths of N indicated. Data based on three of six forms in 2001; N is three sixths of N indicated.
Data based on one of six forms beginning in 2002; N is one sixth of N indicated.
x
For 12th graders only: Data based on two of six forms in 2000; N is two sixths of N indicated. Data based on three of six forms in 2001–2009; N is three sixths of N indicated.
Data based on two of six forms beginning in 2010; N is two sixths of N indicated.
y
The 2003 flavored alcoholic beverage data were created by adjusting the 2004 data to reflect the change in the 2003 and 2004 “alcopops” data.
z
Daily use is defined as use on 20 or more occasions in the past 30 days except for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, for which actual daily use is measured, and for
5+ drinks, for which the prevalence of having five or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks is measured.
55
TABLE 6
Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2011
change
a
Any Illicit Drug
8th Grade
11.3
12.9
15.1
18.5
21.4
23.6
22.1
21.0
20.5
19.5
19.5
17.7
16.1
15.2
15.5
14.8
13.2
14.1
14.5
16.0
14.7
-1.4
10th Grade
21.4
20.4
24.7
30.0
33.3
37.5
38.5
35.0
35.9
36.4
37.2
34.8
32.0
31.1
29.8
28.7
28.1
26.9
29.4
30.2
31.1
+0.9
12th Grade
29.4
27.1
31.0
35.8
39.0
40.2
42.4
41.4
42.1
40.9
41.4
41.0
39.3
38.8
38.4
36.5
35.9
36.6
36.5
38.3
40.0
+1.7
-0.7
Any Illicit Drug other
than Marijuana a,b
8th Grade
8.4
9.3
10.4
11.3
12.6
13.1
11.8
11.0
10.5
10.2‡ 10.8
8.8
8.8
7.9
8.1
7.7
7.0
7.4
7.0
7.1
6.4
10th Grade
12.2
12.3
13.9
15.2
17.5
18.4
18.2
16.6
16.7
16.7‡ 17.9
15.7
13.8
13.5
12.9
12.7
13.1
11.3
12.2
12.1
11.2
-0.9
12th Grade
16.2
14.9
17.1
18.0
19.4
19.8
20.7
20.2
20.7
20.4‡ 21.6
20.9
19.8
20.5
19.7
19.2
18.5
18.3
17.0
17.3
17.6
+0.2
Any Illicit Drug
including Inhalants
a,c
8th Grade
16.7
18.2
21.1
24.2
27.1
28.7
27.2
26.2
25.3
24.0
23.9
21.4
20.4
20.2
20.4
19.7
18.0
19.0
18.8
20.3
18.2
-2.0 s
10th Grade
23.9
23.5
27.4
32.5
35.6
39.6
40.3
37.1
37.7
38.0
38.7
36.1
33.5
32.9
31.7
30.7
30.2
28.8
31.2
31.8
32.5
+0.7
12th Grade
31.2
28.8
32.5
37.6
40.2
41.9
43.3
42.4
42.8
42.5
42.6
42.1
40.5
39.1
40.3
38.0
37.0
37.3
37.6
39.2
41.5
+2.3
Marijuana/Hashish
8th Grade
6.2
7.2
9.2
13.0
15.8
18.3
17.7
16.9
16.5
15.6
15.4
14.6
12.8
11.8
12.2
11.7
10.3
10.9
11.8
13.7
12.5
-1.1
10th Grade
16.5
15.2
19.2
25.2
28.7
33.6
34.8
31.1
32.1
32.2
32.7
30.3
28.2
27.5
26.6
25.2
24.6
23.9
26.7
27.5
28.8
+1.3
12th Grade
23.9
21.9
26.0
30.7
34.7
35.8
38.5
37.5
37.8
36.5
37.0
36.2
34.9
34.3
33.6
31.5
31.7
32.4
32.8
34.8
36.4
+1.5
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
11.4
—
8th Grade
9.0
9.5
11.0
11.7
12.8
12.2
11.8
11.1
10.3
9.4
9.1
7.7
8.7
9.6
9.5
9.1
8.3
8.9
8.1
8.1
7.0
-1.0 s
10th Grade
7.1
7.5
8.4
9.1
9.6
9.5
8.7
8.0
7.2
7.3
6.6
5.8
5.4
5.9
6.0
6.5
6.6
5.9
6.1
5.7
4.5
-1.2 ss
12th Grade
6.6
6.2
7.0
7.7
8.0
7.6
6.7
6.2
5.6
5.9
4.5
4.5
3.9
4.2
5.0
4.5
3.7
3.8
3.4
3.6
3.2
-0.5
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
0.9
0.5
0.9
1.1
1.1
1.6
1.2
1.4
0.9
0.6
0.6
1.1
0.9
0.8
0.6
0.5
0.8
0.6
0.9
—
—
—
8th Grade
1.9
2.5
2.6
2.7
3.6
4.1
3.7
3.4
2.9
2.8‡
3.4
2.6
2.6
2.2
2.4
2.1
1.9
2.1
1.9
2.2
2.2
0.0
10th Grade
4.0
4.3
4.7
5.8
7.2
7.8
7.6
6.9
6.9
6.1‡
6.2
4.7
4.1
4.1
4.0
4.1
4.4
3.9
4.1
4.2
4.1
0.0
12th Grade
5.8
5.9
7.4
7.6
9.3
10.1
9.8
9.0
9.4
8.1‡
9.1
6.6
5.9
6.2
5.5
4.9
5.4
5.9
4.7
5.5
5.2
-0.3
8th Grade
1.7
2.1
2.3
2.4
3.2
3.5
3.2
2.8
2.4
2.4
2.2
1.5
1.3
1.1
1.2
0.9
1.1
1.3
1.1
1.2
1.1
0.0
10th Grade
3.7
4.0
4.2
5.2
6.5
6.9
6.7
5.9
6.0
5.1
4.1
2.6
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.7
1.9
1.8
1.9
1.9
1.8
0.0
12th Grade
5.2
5.6
6.8
6.9
8.4
8.8
8.4
7.6
8.1
6.6
6.6
3.5
1.9
2.2
1.8
1.7
2.1
2.7
1.9
2.6
2.7
+0.1
8th Grade
0.7
1.1
1.0
1.3
1.7
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.5
1.4‡
2.4
2.1
2.1
1.9
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.8
1.8
-0.1
10th Grade
1.3
1.4
1.9
2.4
2.8
3.3
3.3
3.4
3.2
3.1‡
4.3
4.0
3.6
3.7
3.5
3.7
3.8
3.3
3.5
3.5
3.5
0.0
12th Grade
2.0
1.7
2.2
3.1
3.8
4.4
4.6
4.6
4.3
4.4‡
5.9
5.4
5.4
5.6
5.0
4.6
4.8
5.0
4.2
4.8
4.3
-0.5
Synthetic Marijuana
o
—
Inhalants c,d
Nitrites
e
Hallucinogens
b,f
LSD
Hallucinogens
other than LSD
b
(Table continued on next page.)
56
TABLE 6 (cont.)
Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
PCP
2011
change
e
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.6
1.8
2.6
2.3
2.1
1.8
2.3
1.8
1.1
1.3
0.7
1.3
0.7
0.9
1.1
1.0
1.0
1.3
+0.3
Ecstasy (MDMA) g
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
2.3
2.3
1.8
1.7
3.1
3.5
2.9
2.1
1.7
1.7
1.4
1.5
1.7
1.3
2.4
1.7
-0.7 s
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
4.6
3.9
3.3
4.4
5.4
6.2
4.9
3.0
2.4
2.6
2.8
3.5
2.9
3.7
4.7
4.5
-0.2
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
4.6
4.0
3.6
5.6
8.2
9.2
7.4
4.5
4.0
3.0
4.1
4.5
4.3
4.3
4.5
5.3
+0.9
Salvia
n,o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.7
1.6
-0.2
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3.7
3.9
+0.1
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5.7
5.5
5.9
+0.4
8th Grade
1.1
1.5
1.7
2.1
2.6
3.0
2.8
3.1
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.3
2.2
2.0
2.2
2.0
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.6
1.4
-0.2
10th Grade
2.2
1.9
2.1
2.8
3.5
4.2
4.7
4.7
4.9
4.4
3.6
4.0
3.3
3.7
3.5
3.2
3.4
3.0
2.7
2.2
1.9
-0.3
12th Grade
3.5
3.1
3.3
3.6
4.0
4.9
5.5
5.7
6.2
5.0
4.8
5.0
4.8
5.3
5.1
5.7
5.2
4.4
3.4
2.9
2.9
-0.1
8th Grade
0.7
0.9
1.0
1.3
1.6
1.8
1.7
2.1
1.8
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.6
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.1
1.1
1.0
0.9
-0.1
10th Grade
0.9
0.9
1.1
1.4
1.8
2.1
2.2
2.5
2.4
2.2
1.8
2.3
1.6
1.7
1.7
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.2
1.0
0.9
-0.1
12th Grade
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.9
2.1
2.1
2.4
2.5
2.7
2.2
2.1
2.3
2.2
2.3
1.9
2.1
1.9
1.6
1.3
1.4
1.0
-0.4 s
8th Grade
1.0
1.2
1.3
1.7
2.1
2.5
2.2
2.4
2.3
1.9
1.9
1.8
1.6
1.6
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.1
-0.2
10th Grade
2.1
1.7
1.8
2.4
3.0
3.5
4.1
4.0
4.4
3.8
3.0
3.4
2.8
3.3
3.0
2.9
3.1
2.6
2.3
1.9
1.7
-0.2
12th Grade
3.2
2.6
2.9
3.0
3.4
4.2
5.0
4.9
5.8
4.5
4.4
4.4
4.2
4.7
4.5
5.2
4.5
4.0
3.0
2.6
2.6
0.0
8th Grade
0.7
0.7
0.7
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.3
1.3
1.4
1.1
1.0
0.9
0.9
1.0
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.8
0.7
-0.1
10th Grade
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.9
1.1
1.2
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.4
0.9
1.1
0.7
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.0
12th Grade
0.4
0.6
0.5
0.6
1.1
1.0
1.2
1.0
1.1
1.5
0.9
1.0
0.8
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.7
0.9
0.8
-0.1
-0.1
Cocaine
Crack
Other Cocaine
h
Heroin i
With a Needle
j
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.9
1.0
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.6
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.5
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.6
0.7
0.7
0.8
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.0
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.7
0.6
-0.1
Without a Needle
j
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.8
1.0
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.4
0.5
0.4
-0.1
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.8
0.9
1.1
1.0
1.1
1.1
0.7
0.8
0.5
0.7
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.5
-0.1
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
1.0
1.0
1.2
0.8
1.0
1.6
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.7
0.8
0.6
1.0
0.5
0.6
0.8
0.7
-0.1
Narcotics other than Heroin k,l
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
3.5
3.3
3.6
3.8
4.7
5.4
6.2
6.3
6.7
7.0
6.7‡
9.4
9.3
9.5
9.0
9.0
9.2
9.1
9.2
8.7
8.7
0.0
(Table continued on next page.)
57
TABLE 6 (cont.)
Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
2011
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
OxyContin
change
k,n,v
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.3
1.7
1.7
1.8
2.6
1.8
2.1
2.0
2.1
1.8
-0.3
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3.0
3.6
3.5
3.2
3.8
3.9
3.6
5.1
4.6
3.9
-0.7
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
4.3
5.2
4.7
4.9
5.1
4.9
-0.1
Vicodin k,n,v
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2.5
2.8
2.5
2.6
3.0
2.7
2.9
2.5
2.7
2.1
-0.6
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
6.9
7.2
6.2
5.9
7.0
7.2
6.7
8.1
7.7
5.9
-1.8 s
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
9.6
10.5
9.3
9.5
9.7
9.6
9.7
9.7
8.0
8.1
+0.1
8th Grade
6.2
6.5
7.2
7.9
8.7
9.1
8.1
7.2
6.9
6.5
6.7
5.5
5.5
4.9
4.9
4.7
4.2
4.5
4.1
3.9
3.5
-0.4
10th Grade
8.2
8.2
9.6
10.2
11.9
12.4
12.1
10.7
10.4
11.1
11.7
10.7
9.0
8.5
7.8
7.9
8.0
6.4
7.1
7.6
6.6
-1.0 s
12th Grade
8.2
7.1
8.4
9.4
9.3
9.5
10.2
10.1
10.2
10.5
10.9
11.1
9.9
10.0
8.6
8.1
7.5
6.8
6.6
7.4
8.2
+0.8
-0.2
Amphetamines
Ritalin
k,m
k,n,o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2.9
2.8
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.6
2.1
1.6
1.8
1.5
1.3
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
4.8
4.8
4.1
3.4
3.4
3.6
2.8
2.9
3.6
2.7
2.6
0.0
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5.1
4.0
4.0
5.1
4.4
4.4
3.8
3.4
2.1
2.7
2.6
-0.1
Adderall
k,n,o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2.0
2.3
1.7
-0.6
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5.7
5.3
4.6
-0.7
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5.4
6.5
6.5
0.0
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.8
1.3
1.5
+0.1
Provigil
k,o
Methamphetamine
n,o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3.2
2.5
2.8
2.2
2.5
1.5
1.8
1.8
1.1
1.2
1.0
1.2
0.8
-0.4
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
4.6
4.0
3.7
3.9
3.3
3.0
2.9
1.8
1.6
1.5
1.6
1.6
1.4
-0.2
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
4.7
4.3
3.9
3.6
3.2
3.4
2.5
2.5
1.7
1.2
1.2
1.0
1.4
+0.3
—
Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice)
o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
1.4
1.3
1.7
1.8
2.4
2.8
2.3
3.0
1.9
2.2
2.5
3.0
2.0
2.1
2.3
1.9
1.6
1.1
0.9
0.9
1.2
+0.3
—
Sedatives (Barbiturates)
k,p
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
3.4
2.8
3.4
4.1
4.7
4.9
5.1
5.5
5.8
6.2
5.7
6.7
6.0
6.5
7.2
6.6
6.2
5.8
5.2
4.8
4.3
-0.5
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
0.5
0.6
0.2
0.8
0.7
1.1
1.0
1.1
1.1
0.3
0.8
0.9
0.6
0.8
0.9
0.8
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.3
0.3
0.0
Methaqualone e,k
(Table continued on next page.)
58
TABLE 6 (cont.)
Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Tranquilizers
2011
change
b,k
8th Grade
1.8
2.0
2.1
2.4
2.7
3.3
2.9
2.6
2.5
2.6‡
2.8
2.6
2.7
2.5
2.8
2.6
2.4
2.4
2.6
2.8
2.0
-0.7 ss
10th Grade
3.2
3.5
3.3
3.3
4.0
4.6
4.9
5.1
5.4
5.6‡
7.3
6.3
5.3
5.1
4.8
5.2
5.3
4.6
5.0
5.1
4.5
-0.5
12th Grade
3.6
2.8
3.5
3.7
4.4
4.6
4.7
5.5
5.8
5.7‡
6.9
7.7
6.7
7.3
6.8
6.6
6.2
6.2
6.3
5.6
5.6
0.0
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
17.1
16.8
15.8
15.4
14.4
15.0
15.2 +0.1
Any Prescription Drug q
OTC Cough/Cold
Medicines n,o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
4.2
4.0
3.6
3.8
3.2
2.7
-0.5
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5.3
5.4
5.3
6.0
5.1
5.5
+0.4
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
6.9
5.8
5.5
5.9
6.6
5.3
-1.2 s
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
1.0
0.8
0.8
0.5
0.5
0.7
0.3
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.5
0.7
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.8
+0.3
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
1.1
1.3
1.2
1.0
0.8
1.0
0.7
0.6
0.7
0.5
0.5
0.7
0.4
0.4
0.6
0.6
+0.1
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
1.1
1.2
1.4
1.0
0.8
0.9‡
1.6
1.3
1.6
1.2
1.1
1.0
1.3
1.0
1.5
1.3
-0.2
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.2
1.1
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.5
0.8
0.7
1.1
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.0
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.1
1.0
1.4
1.4
0.8
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
1.0
0.6
0.5
0.0
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.9
1.6
1.5
1.4
2.0
1.1
1.1
0.9
1.2
1.1
1.4
1.4
0.0
-0.3
Rohypnol r
GHB
n,w
Ketamine n,x
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.6
1.3
1.3
1.1
0.9
0.6
0.9
1.0
1.2
1.0
1.0
0.8
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2.1
2.1
2.2
1.9
1.3
1.0
1.0
0.8
1.0
1.3
1.1
1.2
0.0
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2.5
2.5
2.6
2.1
1.9
1.6
1.4
1.3
1.5
1.7
1.6
1.7
+0.1
Alcohol s
Any Use
8th Grade
54.0
53.7‡ 45.4
46.8
45.3
46.5
45.5
43.7
43.5
43.1
41.9
38.7
37.2
36.7
33.9
33.6
31.8
32.1
30.3
29.3
26.9
-2.4 s
10th Grade
72.3
70.2‡ 63.4
63.9
63.5
65.0
65.2
62.7
63.7
65.3
63.5
60.0
59.3
58.2
56.7
55.8
56.3
52.5
52.8
52.1
49.8
-2.3 s
12th Grade
77.7
76.8‡ 72.7
73.0
73.7
72.5
74.8
74.3
73.8
73.2
73.3
71.5
70.1
70.6
68.6
66.5
66.4
65.5
66.2
65.2
63.5
-1.7
Been Drunk
o
8th Grade
17.5
18.3
18.2
18.2
18.4
19.8
18.4
17.9
18.5
18.5
16.6
15.0
14.5
14.5
14.1
13.9
12.6
12.7
12.2
11.5
10.5
-1.0
10th Grade
40.1
37.0
37.8
38.0
38.5
40.1
40.7
38.3
40.9
41.6
39.9
35.4
34.7
35.1
34.2
34.5
34.4
30.0
31.2
29.9
28.8
-1.1
12th Grade
52.7
50.3
49.6
51.7
52.5
51.9
53.2
52.0
53.2
51.8
53.2
50.4
48.0
51.8
47.7
47.9
46.1
45.6
47.0
44.0
42.2
-1.9
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
30.4
27.9
26.8
26.0
25.0
22.2
21.9
19.2
-2.7 s
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
49.7
48.5
48.8
45.9
43.4
41.5
41.0
38.3
-2.8
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
55.2
55.8
58.4
54.7
53.6
51.8
53.4
47.9
47.0
-0.9
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
11.8
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
22.5
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
26.4
—
Flavored Alcoholic
Beverages e,n,y
Alcoholic Beverage
containing Caffeine
n,o
(Table continued on next page.)
59
TABLE 6 (cont.)
Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Bidis
2011
change
n,o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3.9
2.7
2.7
2.0
1.7
1.6
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
6.4
4.9
3.1
2.8
2.1
1.6
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
9.2
7.0
5.9
4.0
3.6
3.3
2.3
1.7
1.9
1.5
1.4
—
—
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2.6
2.6
2.0
1.9
1.4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
6.0
4.9
3.8
3.7
2.8
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10.1
8.4
6.7
6.5
7.1
6.2
6.8
6.8
5.5
4.6
2.9
-1.6 s
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.5
—
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
7.9
—
8th Grade
1.0
1.1
0.9
1.2
1.0
0.9
1.0
1.2
1.7
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.1
1.1
0.9
0.8
0.9
0.8
0.5
0.7
+0.2 s
10th Grade
1.1
1.1
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.7
2.2
2.1
2.2
1.7
1.5
1.3
1.2
1.1
0.9
0.8
1.0
0.9
-0.1
12th Grade
1.4
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.5
1.4
1.4
1.7
1.8
1.7
2.4
2.5
2.1
2.5
1.5
1.8
1.4
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.2
-0.2
Kreteks
n,o
Tobacco using a Hookah
Small cigars
e
17.1 18.5
—
+1.4
e
23.1 19.5
—
—
-3.6 ss
Dissolvable Tobacco
Products
Snus
e
—
e
Steroids k,u
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
See relevant footnotes at the end of Table 1.
60
TABLE 7
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Any Illicit Drug
2011
change
a
8th Grade
5.7
6.8
8.4
10.9
12.4
14.6
12.9
12.1
12.2
11.9
11.7
10.4
9.7
8.4
8.5
8.1
7.4
7.6
8.1
9.5
8.5
-1.0
10th Grade
11.6
11.0
14.0
18.5
20.2
23.2
23.0
21.5
22.1
22.5
22.7
20.8
19.5
18.3
17.3
16.8
16.9
15.8
17.8
18.5
19.2
+0.8
12th Grade
16.4
14.4
18.3
21.9
23.8
24.6
26.2
25.6
25.9
24.9
25.7
25.4
24.1
23.4
23.1
21.5
21.9
22.3
23.3
23.8
25.2
+1.4
8th Grade
3.8
4.7
5.3
5.6
6.5
6.9
6.0
5.5
5.5
5.6‡
5.5
4.7
4.7
4.1
4.1
3.8
3.6
3.8
3.5
3.5
3.4
-0.2
10th Grade
5.5
5.7
6.5
7.1
8.9
8.9
8.8
8.6
8.6
8.5‡
8.7
8.1
6.9
6.9
6.4
6.3
6.9
5.3
5.7
5.8
5.4
-0.3
12th Grade
7.1
6.3
7.9
8.8
10.0
9.5
10.7
10.7
10.4
10.4‡ 11.0
11.3
10.4
10.8
10.3
9.8
9.5
9.3
8.6
8.6
8.9
+0.3
8th Grade
8.8
10.0
12.0
14.3
16.1
17.5
16.0
14.9
15.1
14.4
14.0
12.6
12.1
11.2
11.2
10.9
10.1
10.4
10.6
11.7
10.5
-1.1
10th Grade
13.1
12.6
15.5
20.0
21.6
24.5
24.1
22.5
23.1
23.6
23.6
21.7
20.5
19.3
18.4
17.7
18.1
16.8
18.8
19.4
20.1
+0.7
12th Grade
17.8
15.5
19.3
23.0
24.8
25.5
26.9
26.6
26.4
26.4
26.5
25.9
24.6
23.3
24.2
22.1
22.8
22.8
24.1
24.5
26.2
+1.7
8th Grade
3.2
3.7
5.1
7.8
9.1
11.3
10.2
9.7
9.7
9.1
9.2
8.3
7.5
6.4
6.6
6.5
5.7
5.8
6.5
8.0
7.2
-0.7
10th Grade
8.7
8.1
10.9
15.8
17.2
20.4
20.5
18.7
19.4
19.7
19.8
17.8
17.0
15.9
15.2
14.2
14.2
13.8
15.9
16.7
17.6
+0.9
12th Grade
13.8
11.9
15.5
19.0
21.2
21.9
23.7
22.8
23.1
21.6
22.4
21.5
21.2
19.9
19.8
18.3
18.8
19.4
20.6
21.4
22.6
+1.2
8th Grade
4.4
4.7
5.4
5.6
6.1
5.8
5.6
4.8
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.8
4.1
4.5
4.2
4.1
3.9
4.1
3.8
3.6
3.2
-0.4
10th Grade
2.7
2.7
3.3
3.6
3.5
3.3
3.0
2.9
2.6
2.6
2.4
2.4
2.2
2.4
2.2
2.3
2.5
2.1
2.2
2.0
1.7
-0.3
12th Grade
2.4
2.3
2.5
2.7
3.2
2.5
2.5
2.3
2.0
2.2
1.7
1.5
1.5
1.5
2.0
1.5
1.2
1.4
1.2
1.4
1.0
-0.4
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
0.4
0.3
0.6
0.4
0.4
0.7
0.7
1.0
0.4
0.3
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.7
0.5
0.3
0.5
0.3
0.6
—
—
—
8th Grade
0.8
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.7
1.9
1.8
1.4
1.3
1.2‡
1.6
1.2
1.2
1.0
1.1
0.9
1.0
0.9
0.9
1.0
1.0
0.0
10th Grade
1.6
1.8
1.9
2.4
3.3
2.8
3.3
3.2
2.9
2.3‡
2.1
1.6
1.5
1.6
1.5
1.5
1.7
1.3
1.4
1.6
1.4
-0.1
12th Grade
2.2
2.1
2.7
3.1
4.4
3.5
3.9
3.8
3.5
2.6‡
3.3
2.3
1.8
1.9
1.9
1.5
1.7
2.2
1.6
1.9
1.6
-0.2
8th Grade
0.6
0.9
1.0
1.1
1.4
1.5
1.5
1.1
1.1
1.0
1.0
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.5
0.0
10th Grade
1.5
1.6
1.6
2.0
3.0
2.4
2.8
2.7
2.3
1.6
1.5
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.5
0.7
0.7
0.0
12th Grade
1.9
2.0
2.4
2.6
4.0
2.5
3.1
3.2
2.7
1.6
2.3
0.7
0.6
0.7
0.7
0.6
0.6
1.1
0.5
0.8
0.8
+0.1
8th Grade
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.7
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.7
0.6
0.6‡
1.1
1.0
1.0
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.0
10th Grade
0.4
0.5
0.7
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.2
1.2‡
1.4
1.4
1.2
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.4
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.1
-0.1
12th Grade
0.7
0.5
0.8
1.2
1.3
1.6
1.7
1.6
1.6
1.7‡
1.9
2.0
1.5
1.7
1.6
1.3
1.4
1.6
1.4
1.5
1.2
-0.3 s
Any Illicit Drug other
than Marijuana
a,b
Any Illicit Drug
including Inhalants
a,c
Marijuana/Hashish
Inhalants c,d
Nitrites
e
Hallucinogens b,f
LSD
Hallucinogens
other than LSD
b
(Table continued on next page.)
61
TABLE 7 (cont.)
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2011
change
PCP e
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
0.5
0.6
1.0
0.7
0.6
1.3
0.7
1.0
0.8
0.9
0.5
0.4
0.6
0.4
0.7
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.5
0.8
0.8
0.0
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.8
1.4
1.8
1.4
0.7
0.8
0.6
0.7
0.6
0.8
0.6
1.1
0.6
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
1.8
1.3
1.3
1.8
2.6
2.6
1.8
1.1
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.2
1.1
1.3
1.9
1.6
-0.3
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
2.0
1.6
1.5
2.5
3.6
2.8
2.4
1.3
1.2
1.0
1.3
1.6
1.8
1.8
1.4
2.3
+0.9 ss
8th Grade
0.5
0.7
0.7
1.0
1.2
1.3
1.1
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.2
1.1
0.9
0.9
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.6
0.8
+0.2
10th Grade
0.7
0.7
0.9
1.2
1.7
1.7
2.0
2.1
1.8
1.8
1.3
1.6
1.3
1.7
1.5
1.5
1.3
1.2
0.9
0.9
0.7
-0.2
12th Grade
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.5
1.8
2.0
2.3
2.4
2.6
2.1
2.1
2.3
2.1
2.3
2.3
2.5
2.0
1.9
1.3
1.3
1.1
-0.1
8th Grade
0.3
0.5
0.4
0.7
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.0
10th Grade
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.9
0.8
0.9
1.1
0.8
0.9
0.7
1.0
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.4
-0.1
12th Grade
0.7
0.6
0.7
0.8
1.0
1.0
0.9
1.0
1.1
1.0
1.1
1.2
0.9
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.6
0.7
0.5
-0.2
8th Grade
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.9
1.0
1.0
0.8
1.0
1.1
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.5
0.6
+0.1
10th Grade
0.6
0.6
0.7
1.0
1.4
1.3
1.6
1.8
1.6
1.6
1.2
1.3
1.1
1.5
1.3
1.3
1.1
1.0
0.8
0.7
0.6
-0.1
12th Grade
1.2
1.0
1.2
1.3
1.3
1.6
2.0
2.0
2.5
1.7
1.8
1.9
1.8
2.2
2.0
2.4
1.7
1.7
1.1
1.1
1.0
-0.1
8th Grade
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
-0.1
10th Grade
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.6
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.7
0.5
0.3
0.5
0.3
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.0
12th Grade
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.7
0.4
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.0
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.4
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
-0.1
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.0
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.4
0.4
0.0
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.0
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.2
0.4
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.0
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
0.6
0.4
0.6
0.4
0.4
0.7
0.3
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.5
0.3
0.4
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.0
—
Ecstasy (MDMA)
—
g
-0.5 ss
Cocaine
Crack
Other Cocaine
h
Heroin i
With a Needle
j
Without a Needle
j
Narcotics other than Heroin k,l
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.5
1.8
2.0
2.3
2.4
2.6
2.9
3.0‡
4.0
4.1
4.3
3.9
3.8
3.8
3.8
4.1
3.6
3.6
+0.1
8th Grade
2.6
3.3
3.6
3.6
4.2
4.6
3.8
3.3
3.4
3.4
3.2
2.8
2.7
2.3
2.3
2.1
2.0
2.2
1.9
1.8
1.8
0.0
10th Grade
3.3
3.6
4.3
4.5
5.3
5.5
5.1
5.1
5.0
5.4
5.6
5.2
4.3
4.0
3.7
3.5
4.0
2.8
3.3
3.3
3.1
-0.2
12th Grade
3.2
2.8
3.7
4.0
4.0
4.1
4.8
4.6
4.5
5.0
5.6
5.5
5.0
4.6
3.9
3.7
3.7
2.9
3.0
3.3
3.7
+0.4
Amphetamines k,m
(Table continued on next page.)
62
TABLE 7 (cont.)
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2011
change
Methamphetamine n,o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.1
0.8
1.3
1.1
1.2
0.6
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.5
0.7
0.4
-0.3
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.8
2.0
1.5
1.8
1.4
1.3
1.1
0.7
0.4
0.7
0.6
0.7
0.5
-0.1
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.7
1.9
1.5
1.7
1.7
1.4
0.9
0.9
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.0
Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice)
o
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
0.6
0.5
0.6
0.7
1.1
1.1
0.8
1.2
0.8
1.0
1.1
1.2
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.6
0.6
0.0
—
Sedatives (Barbiturates)
k,p
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
1.4
1.1
1.3
1.7
2.2
2.1
2.1
2.6
2.6
3.0
2.8
3.2
2.9
2.9
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.8
2.5
2.2
1.8
-0.4
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
0.2
0.4
0.1
0.4
0.4
0.6
0.3
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.5
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.0
8th Grade
0.8
0.8
0.9
1.1
1.2
1.5
1.2
1.2
1.1
1.4‡
1.2
1.2
1.4
1.2
1.3
1.3
1.1
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.0
-0.2
10th Grade
1.2
1.5
1.1
1.5
1.7
1.7
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.5‡
2.9
2.9
2.4
2.3
2.3
2.4
2.6
1.9
2.0
2.2
1.9
-0.3
12th Grade
1.4
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.8
2.0
1.8
2.4
2.5
2.6‡
2.9
3.3
2.8
3.1
2.9
2.7
2.6
2.6
2.7
2.5
2.3
-0.2
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
8.6
8.1
7.8
7.2
7.3
6.9
7.2
+0.2
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
0.5
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.2
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.4
0.3
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.6
+0.4
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.4
0.2
0.4
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.0
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
0.5
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.3
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Methaqualone e,k
Tranquilizers b,k
Any Prescription Drug
q
Rohypnol r
Alcohol s
Any Use
8th Grade
25.1
26.1‡ 24.3
25.5
24.6
26.2
24.5
23.0
24.0
22.4
21.5
19.6
19.7
18.6
17.1
17.2
15.9
15.9
14.9
13.8
12.7
-1.1
10th Grade
42.8
39.9‡ 38.2
39.2
38.8
40.4
40.1
38.8
40.0
41.0
39.0
35.4
35.4
35.2
33.2
33.8
33.4
28.8
30.4
28.9
27.2
-1.8
12th Grade
54.0
51.3‡ 48.6
50.1
51.3
50.8
52.7
52.0
51.0
50.0
49.8
48.6
47.5
48.0
47.0
45.3
44.4
43.1
43.5
41.2
40.0
-1.2
Been Drunk
o
8th Grade
7.6
7.5
7.8
8.7
8.3
9.6
8.2
8.4
9.4
8.3
7.7
6.7
6.7
6.2
6.0
6.2
5.5
5.4
5.4
5.0
4.4
-0.7
10th Grade
20.5
18.1
19.8
20.3
20.8
21.3
22.4
21.1
22.5
23.5
21.9
18.3
18.2
18.5
17.6
18.8
18.1
14.4
15.5
14.7
13.7
-1.0
12th Grade
31.6
29.9
28.9
30.8
33.2
31.3
34.2
32.9
32.9
32.3
32.7
30.3
30.9
32.5
30.2
30.0
28.7
27.6
27.4
26.8
25.0
-1.8
8th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
14.6
12.9
13.1
12.2
10.2
9.5
9.4
8.6
-0.7
10th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
25.1
23.1
24.7
21.8
20.2
19.0
19.4
15.8
-3.6 sss
12th Grade
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
31.1
30.5
29.3
29.1
27.4
27.4
24.1
23.1
-1.0
Flavored Alcoholic
Beverages
e,n
(Table continued on next page.)
63
TABLE 7 (cont.)
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2011
change
8th Grade
14.3
15.5
16.7
18.6
19.1
21.0
19.4
19.1
17.5
14.6
12.2
10.7
10.2
9.2
9.3
8.7
7.1
6.8
6.5
7.1
6.1
-1.0
10th Grade
20.8
21.5
24.7
25.4
27.9
30.4
29.8
27.6
25.7
23.9
21.3
17.7
16.7
16.0
14.9
14.5
14.0
12.3
13.1
13.6
11.8
-1.8 s
12th Grade
28.3
27.8
29.9
31.2
33.5
34.0
36.5
35.1
34.6
31.4
29.5
26.7
24.4
25.0
23.2
21.6
21.6
20.4
20.1
19.2
18.7
-0.5
Cigarettes
Any Use
Smokeless Tobacco
t
8th Grade
6.9
7.0
6.6
7.7
7.1
7.1
5.5
4.8
4.5
4.2
4.0
3.3
4.1
4.1
3.3
3.7
3.2
3.5
3.7
4.1
3.5
-0.6
10th Grade
10.0
9.6
10.4
10.5
9.7
8.6
8.9
7.5
6.5
6.1
6.9
6.1
5.3
4.9
5.6
5.7
6.1
5.0
6.5
7.5
6.6
-0.9
12th Grade
—
11.4
10.7
11.1
12.2
9.8
9.7
8.8
8.4
7.6
7.8
6.5
6.7
6.7
7.6
6.1
6.6
6.5
8.4
8.5
8.3
-0.3
8th Grade
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.8
0.7
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.4
+0.1
10th Grade
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.7
0.6
0.9
1.0
0.9
1.0
0.8
0.8
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.0
12th Grade
0.8
0.6
0.7
0.9
0.7
0.7
1.0
1.1
0.9
0.8
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.6
0.9
1.1
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.1
0.7
-0.3
Steroids k,u
Source.
The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
See relevant footnotes at the end of Table 1.
64
TABLE 8
Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Daily Use of Various Drugs
in Grades 8, 10, and 12
2010–
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2011
change
Marijuana/Hashish
Daily
z
8th Grade
0.2
0.2
0.4
0.7
0.8
1.5
1.1
1.1
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.2
1.0
0.8
1.0
1.0
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.2
1.3
+0.1
10th Grade
0.8
0.8
1.0
2.2
2.8
3.5
3.7
3.6
3.8
3.8
4.5
3.9
3.6
3.2
3.1
2.8
2.8
2.7
2.8
3.3
3.6
+0.2
12th Grade
2.0
1.9
2.4
3.6
4.6
4.9
5.8
5.6
6.0
6.0
5.8
6.0
6.0
5.6
5.0
5.0
5.1
5.4
5.2
6.1
6.6
+0.5
Alcohol s,z
Any Daily Use
8th Grade
0.5
0.6‡
1.0
1.0
0.7
1.0
0.8
0.9
1.0
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.8
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.5
0.5
0.4
-0.1
10th Grade
1.3
1.2‡
1.8
1.7
1.7
1.6
1.7
1.9
1.9
1.8
1.9
1.8
1.5
1.3
1.3
1.4
1.4
1.0
1.1
1.1
0.8
-0.4 ss
12th Grade
3.6
3.4‡
3.4
2.9
3.5
3.7
3.9
3.9
3.4
2.9
3.6
3.5
3.2
2.8
3.1
3.0
3.1
2.8
2.5
2.7
2.1
-0.6 ss
Been Drunk
Daily
o,z
8th Grade
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.0
10th Grade
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.6
0.4
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.5
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.5
0.5
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.0
12th Grade
0.9
0.8
0.9
1.2
1.3
1.6
2.0
1.5
1.9
1.7
1.4
1.2
1.6
1.8
1.5
1.6
1.3
1.4
1.1
1.6
1.3
-0.3
8th Grade
10.9
11.3
11.3
12.1
12.3
13.3
12.3
11.5
13.1
11.7
11.0
10.3
9.8
9.4
8.4
8.7
8.3
8.1
7.8
7.2
6.4
-0.7
10th Grade
21.0
19.1
21.0
21.9
22.0
22.8
23.1
22.4
23.5
24.1
22.8
20.3
20.0
19.9
19.0
19.9
19.6
16.0
17.5
16.3
14.7
-1.6 s
12th Grade
29.8
27.9
27.5
28.2
29.8
30.2
31.3
31.5
30.8
30.0
29.7
28.6
27.9
29.2
27.1
25.4
25.9
24.6
25.2
23.2
21.6
-1.5
5+ Drinks in a Row
in Last 2 Weeks
Cigarettes
Any Daily Use
8th Grade
7.2
7.0
8.3
8.8
9.3
10.4
9.0
8.8
8.1
7.4
5.5
5.1
4.5
4.4
4.0
4.0
3.0
3.1
2.7
2.9
2.4
-0.5
10th Grade
12.6
12.3
14.2
14.6
16.3
18.3
18.0
15.8
15.9
14.0
12.2
10.1
8.9
8.3
7.5
7.6
7.2
5.9
6.3
6.6
5.5
-1.0
12th Grade
18.5
17.2
19.0
19.4
21.6
22.2
24.6
22.4
23.1
20.6
19.0
16.9
15.8
15.6
13.6
12.2
12.3
11.4
11.2
10.7
10.3
-0.5
1/2 Pack+/Day
8th Grade
3.1
2.9
3.5
3.6
3.4
4.3
3.5
3.6
3.3
2.8
2.3
2.1
1.8
1.7
1.7
1.5
1.1
1.2
1.0
0.9
0.7
-0.2
10th Grade
6.5
6.0
7.0
7.6
8.3
9.4
8.6
7.9
7.6
6.2
5.5
4.4
4.1
3.3
3.1
3.3
2.7
2.0
2.4
2.4
1.9
-0.6 s
12th Grade
10.7
10.0
10.9
11.2
12.4
13.0
14.3
12.6
13.2
11.3
10.3
9.1
8.4
8.0
6.9
5.9
5.7
5.4
5.0
4.7
4.3
-0.4
Smokeless Tobacco
Daily
t
8th Grade
1.6
1.8
1.5
1.9
1.2
1.5
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.9
1.2
0.8
0.8
1.0
0.7
0.7
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.8
-0.1
10th Grade
3.3
3.0
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.2
2.2
2.2
1.5
1.9
2.2
1.7
1.8
1.6
1.9
1.7
1.6
1.4
1.9
2.5
1.7
-0.8
12th Grade
—
4.3
3.3
3.9
3.6
3.3
4.4
3.2
2.9
3.2
2.8
2.0
2.2
2.8
2.5
2.2
2.8
2.7
2.9
3.1
3.1
0.0
Source.
The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
See relevant footnotes at the end of Table 1.
65
66
TABLE 9
Trends in Harmfulness of Drugs as Perceived by 8th Graders
Percentage saying “great risk” a
2010–
2011
change
How much do you think people risk
harming themselves (physically or in other
ways), if they . . .
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Try marijuana once or twice
40.4
39.1
36.2
31.6
28.9
27.9
25.3
28.1
28.0
29.0
27.7
28.2
30.2
31.9
31.4
32.2
32.8
31.1
29.5
29.5
28.2
-1.3
Smoke marijuana occasionally
57.9
56.3
53.8
48.6
45.9
44.3
43.1
45.0
45.7
47.4
46.3
46.0
48.6
50.5
48.9
48.9
50.2
48.1
44.8
44.1
43.4
-0.7
Smoke marijuana regularly
83.8
82.0
79.6
74.3
73.0
70.9
72.7
73.0
73.3
74.8
72.2
71.7
74.2
76.2
73.9
73.2
74.3
72.0
69.8
68.0
68.3
+0.4
35.9
37.0
36.5
37.9
36.4
40.8
40.1
38.9
40.8
41.2
45.6
42.8
40.3
38.7
37.5
35.8
35.9
33.9
34.1
35.5
34.7
-0.8
Take inhalants regularly b
65.6
64.4
64.6
65.5
64.8
68.2
68.7
67.2
68.8
69.9
71.6
69.9
67.4
66.4
64.1
62.1
61.9
59.2
58.1
60.6
59.0
-1.6
Take LSD once or twice c
—
—
42.1
38.3
36.7
36.5
37.0
34.9
34.1
34.0
31.6
29.6
27.9
26.8
25.8
23.8
22.8
21.9
21.4
23.6
21.7
-1.8
Take LSD regularly c
—
—
68.3
65.8
64.4
63.6
64.1
59.6
58.8
57.5
52.9
49.3
48.2
45.2
44.0
40.0
38.5
36.9
37.0
38.6
37.8
-0.8
Try ecstasy (MDMA) once or twice d
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
35.8
38.9
41.9
42.5
40.0
32.8
30.4
28.6
26.0
27.0
25.4
-1.6
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
55.5
61.8
65.8
65.1
60.8
52.0
48.6
46.8
43.9
45.0
43.7
-1.3
62.8
61.2
57.2
54.4
50.8
51.0
49.9
49.3
48.7
48.5
48.6
47.4
48.7
49.0
49.6
47.6
47.3
47.1
46.6
49.6
48.1
-1.4
82.2
79.6
76.8
74.4
72.1
71.6
71.2
70.6
70.6
70.1
70.0
69.7
70.3
70.4
69.4
68.7
68.3
67.9
66.6
68.4
67.7
-0.6
55.5
54.1
50.7
48.4
44.9
45.2
45.0
44.0
43.3
43.3
43.9
43.2
43.7
44.4
44.2
43.5
43.5
42.7
42.3
45.7
43.3
-2.4 s
77.0
74.3
71.8
69.1
66.4
65.7
65.8
65.2
65.4
65.5
65.8
64.9
65.8
66.0
65.3
64.0
64.2
62.7
62.3
64.2
63.5
-0.7
—
—
—
—
60.1
61.3
63.0
62.8
63.0
62.0
61.1
62.6
62.7
61.6
61.4
60.4
60.3
60.8
60.0
62.3
61.7
-0.6
—
—
—
—
76.8
76.6
79.2
79.0
78.9
78.6
78.5
78.5
77.8
77.5
76.8
75.3
76.4
75.5
74.0
76.7
75.9
-0.8
11.0
12.1
12.4
11.6
11.6
11.8
10.4
12.1
11.6
11.9
12.2
12.5
12.6
13.7
13.9
14.2
14.9
13.5
14.4
14.9
14.5
-0.4
31.8
32.4
32.6
29.9
30.5
28.6
29.1
30.3
29.7
30.4
30.0
29.6
29.9
31.0
31.4
31.3
32.6
31.5
31.5
32.3
31.8
-0.5
59.1
58.0
57.7
54.7
54.1
51.8
55.6
56.0
55.3
55.9
56.1
56.4
56.5
56.9
57.2
56.4
57.9
57.0
55.8
57.2
58.4
+1.2
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
26.9
28.9
30.5
32.8
33.4
37.0
37.5
37.0
38.6
38.6
38.6
38.2
37.4
-0.8
Try inhalants once or twice
b
Take ecstasy (MDMA) occasionally
d
Try crack once or twice b
Take crack occasionally
b
Try cocaine powder once or twice b
Take cocaine powder occasionally
b
2011
Try heroin once or twice without using
a needle
c
Take heroin occasionally without using
a needle
c
Try one or two drinks of an alcoholic
beverage (beer, wine, liquor)
Take one or two drinks nearly every day
Have five or more drinks once or twice
each weekend
Smoke one to five cigarettes per day
d
Smoke one or more packs of cigarettes
per day
e
Use smokeless tobacco regularly
Take steroids
f
51.6
50.8
52.7
50.8
49.8
50.4
52.6
54.3
54.8
58.8
57.1
57.5
57.7
62.4
61.5
59.4
61.1
59.8
59.1
60.9
62.5
+1.6
35.1
35.1
36.9
35.5
33.5
34.0
35.2
36.5
37.1
39.0
38.2
39.4
39.7
41.3
40.8
39.5
41.8
41.0
40.8
41.8
40.8
-1.0
64.2
69.5
70.2
67.6
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Approximate weighted N = 17,400 18,700 18,400 17,400 17,500 17,900 18,800 18,100 16,700 16,700 16,200 15,100 16,500 17,000 16,800 16,500 16,100 15,700 15,000 15,300 16,000
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes.
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' — ' indicates data not available. Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates
for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
Answer alternatives were: (1) No risk, (2) Slight risk, (3) Moderate risk, (4) Great risk, and (5) Can’t say, drug unfamiliar.
b
Beginning in 1997, data based on two thirds of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
c
Data based on one of two forms in 1993–1996; N is one half of N indicated. Beginning in 1997, data based on one third of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
d
Data based on one third of N indicated.
e
Beginning in 1999, data based on two thirds of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
f
Data based on two forms in 1991 and 1992. Data based on one of two forms in 1993 and 1994; N is one half of N indicated.
TABLE 10
Trends in Harmfulness of Drugs as Perceived by 10th Graders
Percentage saying “great risk” a
2010–
2011
change
How much do you think people risk
harming themselves (physically or in
other ways), if they . . .
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Try marijuana once or twice
30.0
31.9
29.7
24.4
21.5
20.0
18.8
19.6
19.2
18.5
17.9
19.9
21.1
22.0
22.3
22.2
22.2
23.1
20.5
19.9
19.3
-0.7
Smoke marijuana occasionally
48.6
48.9
46.1
38.9
35.4
32.8
31.9
32.5
33.5
32.4
31.2
32.0
34.9
36.2
36.6
35.6
36.0
37.0
32.9
30.9
30.1
-0.9
Smoke marijuana regularly
82.1
81.1
78.5
71.3
67.9
65.9
65.9
65.8
65.9
64.7
62.8
60.8
63.9
65.6
65.5
64.9
64.5
64.8
59.5
57.2
55.2
-2.1
37.8
38.7
40.9
42.7
41.6
47.2
47.5
45.8
48.2
46.6
49.9
48.7
47.7
46.7
45.7
43.9
43.0
41.2
42.0
42.5
42.4
-0.1
Take inhalants regularly b
69.8
67.9
69.6
71.5
71.8
75.8
74.5
73.3
76.3
75.0
76.4
73.4
72.2
73.0
71.2
70.2
68.6
66.8
66.8
67.1
66.2
-0.9
Take LSD once or twice c
—
—
48.7
46.5
44.7
45.1
44.5
43.5
45.0
43.0
41.3
40.1
40.8
40.6
40.3
38.8
35.4
34.6
34.9
33.9
34.2
+0.3
Take LSD regularly c
—
—
78.9
75.9
75.5
75.3
73.8
72.3
73.9
72.0
68.8
64.9
63.0
63.1
60.8
60.7
56.8
55.7
56.7
56.1
54.9
-1.3
Try ecstasy (MDMA) once or twice d
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
39.4
43.5
49.7
52.0
51.4
48.4
45.3
43.2
38.9
36.3
37.2
+0.9
Try inhalants once or twice
b
Take ecstasy (MDMA) occasionally
Try crack once or twice
d
b
Take crack occasionally
b
Try cocaine powder once or twice b
Take cocaine powder occasionally
b
2011
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
64.8
67.3
71.7
74.6
72.8
71.3
68.2
66.4
62.1
59.2
60.8
+1.6
70.4
69.6
66.6
64.7
60.9
60.9
59.2
58.0
57.8
56.1
57.1
57.4
57.6
56.7
57.0
56.6
56.4
56.5
57.7
58.1
59.5
+1.3
87.4
86.4
84.4
83.1
81.2
80.3
78.7
77.5
79.1
76.9
77.3
75.7
76.4
76.7
76.9
76.2
76.0
76.5
75.9
76.2
76.5
+0.3
59.1
59.2
57.5
56.4
53.5
53.6
52.2
50.9
51.6
48.8
50.6
51.3
51.8
50.7
51.3
50.2
49.5
49.8
50.8
52.9
53.0
0.0
82.2
80.1
79.1
77.8
75.6
75.0
73.9
71.8
73.6
70.9
72.3
71.0
71.4
72.2
72.4
71.3
70.9
71.1
71.0
72.2
72.0
-0.3
—
—
—
—
70.7
72.1
73.1
71.7
73.7
71.7
72.0
72.2
70.6
72.0
72.4
70.0
70.5
70.8
72.2
73.0
72.9
0.0
—
—
—
—
85.1
85.8
86.5
84.9
86.5
85.2
85.4
83.4
83.5
85.4
85.2
83.6
84.2
83.1
83.3
84.8
83.4
-1.3
Try heroin once or twice without using
a needle
c
Take heroin occasionally without using
a needle
c
Try one or two drinks of an alcoholic
beverage (beer, wine, liquor)
Take one or two drinks nearly every day
9.0
10.1
10.9
9.4
9.3
8.9
9.0
10.1
10.5
9.6
9.8
11.5
11.5
10.8
11.5
11.1
11.6
12.6
11.9
11.9
12.3
+0.4
36.1
36.8
35.9
32.5
31.7
31.2
31.8
31.9
32.9
32.3
31.5
31.0
30.9
31.3
32.6
31.7
33.3
35.0
33.8
33.1
32.9
-0.2
54.7
55.9
54.9
52.9
52.0
50.9
51.8
52.5
51.9
51.0
50.7
51.7
51.6
51.7
53.3
52.4
54.1
56.6
54.2
54.6
55.5
+0.9
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
28.4
30.2
32.4
35.1
38.1
39.7
41.0
41.3
41.7
43.5
42.8
41.4
44.8
+3.4
Have five or more drinks once or twice
each weekend
Smoke one to five cigarettes per day
d
Smoke one or more packs of cigarettes
per day
e
Use smokeless tobacco regularly
Take steroids
f
60.3
59.3
60.7
59.0
57.0
57.9
59.9
61.9
62.7
65.9
64.7
64.3
65.7
68.4
68.1
67.7
68.2
69.1
67.3
67.2
69.8
+2.6 s
40.3
39.6
44.2
42.2
38.2
41.0
42.2
42.8
44.2
46.7
46.2
46.9
48.0
47.8
46.1
45.9
46.7
48.0
44.7
43.7
45.7
+1.9
67.1
72.7
73.4
72.5
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Approximate weighted N = 14,700 14,800 15,300 15,900 17,000 15,700 15,600 15,000 13,600 14,300 14,000 14,300 15,800 16,400 16,200 16,200 16,100 15,100 15,900 15,200 14,900
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes.
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' — ' indicates data not available. Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence
estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
Answer alternatives were: (1) No risk, (2) Slight risk, (3) Moderate risk, (4) Great risk, and (5) Can’t say, drug unfamiliar.
b
Beginning in 1997, data based on two thirds of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
c
Data based on one of two forms in 1993–1996; N is one half of N indicated. Beginning in 1997, data based on one third of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
d
Data based on one third of N indicated.
e
Beginning in 1999, data based on two thirds of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
f
Data based on two forms in 1991 and 1992. Data based on one of two forms in 1993 and 1994; N is one half of N indicated.
—
67
68
TABLE 11
Trends in Harmfulness of Drugs as Perceived by 12th Graders
Percentage saying “great risk”a
How much do you think people risk harming
themselves (physically or in other ways), if they . . .
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
Try marijuana once or twice
15.1
11.4
9.5
8.1
9.4
10.0
13.0
11.5
12.7
14.7
14.8
15.1
18.4
19.0
23.6
23.1
27.1
24.5
21.9
Smoke marijuana occasionally
18.1
15.0
13.4
12.4
13.5
14.7
19.1
18.3
20.6
22.6
24.5
25.0
30.4
31.7
36.5
36.9
40.6
39.6
35.6
Smoke marijuana regularly
43.3
38.6
36.4
34.9
42.0
50.4
57.6
60.4
62.8
66.9
70.4
71.3
73.5
77.0
77.5
77.8
78.6
76.5
72.5
Try LSD once or twice
Take LSD regularly
49.4
45.7
43.2
42.7
41.6
43.9
45.5
44.9
44.7
45.4
43.5
42.0
44.9
45.7
46.0
44.7
46.6
42.3
39.5
81.4
80.8
79.1
81.1
82.4
83.0
83.5
83.5
83.2
83.8
82.9
82.6
83.8
84.2
84.3
84.5
84.3
81.8
79.4
Try PCP once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
55.6
58.8
56.6
55.2
51.7
54.8
50.8
Try ecstasy (MDMA) once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Try Salvia once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Try cocaine once or twice
42.6
39.1
35.6
33.2
31.5
31.3
32.1
32.8
33.0
35.7
34.0
33.5
47.9
51.2
54.9
59.4
59.4
56.8
57.6
Take cocaine occasionally
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
54.2
66.8
69.2
71.8
73.9
75.5
75.1
73.3
73.1
72.3
68.2
68.2
69.5
69.2
71.2
73.0
74.3
78.8
79.0
82.2
88.5
89.2
90.2
91.1
90.4
90.2
90.1
Take cocaine regularly
Try crack once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
57.0
62.1
62.9
64.3
60.6
62.4
57.6
Take crack occasionally
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
70.4
73.2
75.3
80.4
76.5
76.3
73.9
Take crack regularly
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
84.6
84.8
85.6
91.6
90.1
89.3
87.5
Try cocaine powder once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
45.3
51.7
53.8
53.9
53.6
57.1
53.2
Take cocaine powder occasionally
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
56.8
61.9
65.8
71.1
69.8
70.8
68.6
Take cocaine powder regularly
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
81.4
82.9
83.9
90.2
88.9
88.4
87.0
Try heroin once or twice
60.1
58.9
55.8
52.9
50.4
52.1
52.9
51.1
50.8
49.8
47.3
45.8
53.6
54.0
53.8
55.4
55.2
50.9
50.7
Take heroin occasionally
75.6
75.6
71.9
71.4
70.9
70.9
72.2
69.8
71.8
70.7
69.8
68.2
74.6
73.8
75.5
76.6
74.9
74.2
72.0
Take heroin regularly
87.2
88.6
86.1
86.6
87.5
86.2
87.5
86.0
86.1
87.2
86.0
87.1
88.7
88.8
89.5
90.2
89.6
89.2
88.3
Try heroin once or twice without using a needle
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Take heroin occasionallyy without using
g a needle
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Try any narcotic other than heroin (codeine, Vicodin,
OxyContin, Percocet, etc.) once or twice
Take any narcotic other than heroin occasionally
Take any narcotic other than heroin regularly
Try amphetamines once or twice b
Take amphetamines regularly
b
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
35.4
33.4
30.8
29.9
29.7
29.7
26.4
25.3
24.7
25.4
25.2
25.1
29.1
29.6
32.8
32.2
36.3
32.6
31.3
69.0
67.3
66.6
67.1
69.9
69.1
66.1
64.7
64.8
67.1
67.2
67.3
69.4
69.8
71.2
71.2
74.1
72.4
69.9
Try Adderall once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Try Adderall occasionally
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Try crystal methamphetamine (ice) once or twice
Try sedatives (barbiturates) once or twice c
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
61.6
61.9
57.5
34.8
32.5
31.2
31.3
30.7
30.9
28.4
27.5
27.0
27.4
26.1
25.4
30.9
29.7
32.2
32.4
35.1
32.2
29.2
c
69.1
67.7
68.6
68.4
71.6
72.2
69.9
67.6
67.7
68.5
68.3
67.2
69.4
69.6
70.5
70.2
70.5
70.2
66.1
5.3
4.8
4.1
3.4
4.1
3.8
4.6
3.5
4.2
4.6
5.0
4.6
6.2
6.0
6.0
8.3
9.1
8.6
8.2
Take one or two drinks nearly every day
21.5
21.2
18.5
19.6
22.6
20.3
21.6
21.6
21.6
23.0
24.4
25.1
26.2
27.3
28.5
31.3
32.7
30.6
28.2
Take four or five drinks nearly every day
63.5
61.0
62.9
63.1
66.2
65.7
64.5
65.5
66.8
68.4
69.8
66.5
69.7
68.5
69.8
70.9
69.5
70.5
67.8
Take sedatives (barbiturates) regularly
Try one or two drinks of an alcoholic beverage
(beer, wine, liquor)
Have five or more drinks once or twice
each weekend
Smoke one or more packs of cigarettes per day
Use smokeless tobacco regularly
Take steroids
37.8
37.0
34.7
34.5
34.9
35.9
36.3
36.0
38.6
41.7
43.0
39.1
41.9
42.6
44.0
47.1
48.6
49.0
48.3
51.3
56.4
58.4
59.0
63.0
63.7
63.3
60.5
61.2
63.8
66.5
66.0
68.6
68.0
67.2
68.2
69.4
69.2
69.5
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
25.8
30.0
33.2
32.9
34.2
37.4
35.5
38.9
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
63.8
69.9
65.6
70.7
69.1
2,918
3,052
3,770
3,250
3,234
3,604
3,557
3,305
3,262
3,250
3,020
3,315
3,276
2,796
2,553
2,549
2,684
2,759
Approximate weighted N = 2,804
(Table continued on next page.)
Years
cont.
TABLE 11 (cont.)
Trends in Harmfulness of Drugs as Perceived by 12th Graders
Percentage saying “great risk”a
2010–
2011
change
How much do you think people risk harming
themselves (physically or in other ways), if they . . .
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Try marijuana once or twice
19.5
16.3
15.6
14.9
16.7
15.7
13.7
15.3
16.1
16.1
15.9
16.1
17.8
18.6
17.4
18.5
17.1
15.6
-1.5
Smoke marijuana occasionally
30.1
25.6
25.9
24.7
24.4
23.9
23.4
23.5
23.2
26.6
25.4
25.8
25.9
27.1
25.8
27.4
24.5
22.7
-1.8
Smoke marijuana regularly
65.0
60.8
59.9
58.1
58.5
57.4
58.3
57.4
53.0
54.9
54.6
58.0
57.9
54.8
51.7
52.4
46.8
45.7
-1.1
Try LSD once or twice
Take LSD regularly
38.8
36.4
36.2
34.7
37.4
34.9
34.3
33.2
36.7
36.2
36.2
36.5
36.1
37.0
33.9
37.1
35.6
34.7
-0.9
79.1
78.1
77.8
76.6
76.5
76.1
75.9
74.1
73.9
72.3
70.2
69.9
69.3
67.3
63.6
67.8
65.3
65.5
+0.2
Try PCP once or twice
51.5
49.1
51.0
48.8
46.8
44.8
45.0
46.2
48.3
45.2
47.1
46.6
47.0
48.0
47.4
49.7
52.4
53.9
+1.5
Try ecstasy (MDMA) once or twice
—
—
—
33.8
34.5
35.0
37.9
45.7
52.2
56.3
57.7
60.1
59.3
58.1
57.0
53.3
50.6
49.0
-1.6
Try Salvia once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
39.8
36.7
-3.1
Try cocaine once or twice
57.2
53.7
54.2
53.6
54.6
52.1
51.1
50.7
51.2
51.0
50.7
50.5
52.5
51.3
50.3
53.1
52.8
54.0
+1.3
Take cocaine occasionally
73.7
70.8
72.1
72.4
70.1
70.1
69.5
69.9
68.3
69.1
67.2
66.7
69.8
68.8
67.1
71.4
67.8
69.7
+1.9
Take cocaine regularly
89.3
87.9
88.3
87.1
86.3
85.8
86.2
84.1
84.5
83.0
82.2
82.8
84.6
83.3
80.7
84.4
81.7
83.8
+2.1
Try crack once or twice
58.4
54.6
56.0
54.0
52.2
48.2
48.4
49.4
50.8
47.3
47.8
48.4
47.8
47.3
47.5
48.4
50.2
51.7
+1.5
Take crack occasionally
73.8
72.8
71.4
70.3
68.7
67.3
65.8
65.4
65.6
64.0
64.5
63.8
64.8
63.6
65.2
64.7
64.3
66.2
+1.9
+0.1
Take crack regularly
89.6
88.6
88.0
86.2
85.3
85.4
85.3
85.8
84.1
83.2
83.5
83.3
82.8
82.6
83.4
84.0
83.8
83.9
Try cocaine powder once or twice
55.4
52.0
53.2
51.4
48.5
46.1
47.0
49.0
49.5
46.2
45.4
46.2
45.8
45.1
45.1
46.5
48.2
48.0
-0.1
Take cocaine powder occasionally
70.6
69.1
68.8
67.7
65.4
64.2
64.7
63.2
64.4
61.4
61.6
60.8
61.9
59.9
61.6
62.6
62.6
64.2
+1.5
Take cocaine powder regularly
88.6
87.8
86.8
86.0
84.1
84.6
85.5
84.4
84.2
82.3
81.7
82.7
82.1
81.5
82.5
83.4
81.8
83.3
+1.5
Try heroin once or twice
52.8
50.9
52.5
56.7
57.8
56.0
54.2
55.6
56.0
58.0
56.6
55.2
59.1
58.4
55.5
59.3
58.3
59.1
+0.9
Take heroin occasionally
72.1
71.0
74.8
76.3
76.9
77.3
74.6
75.9
76.6
78.5
75.7
76.0
79.1
76.2
75.3
79.7
74.8
77.2
+2.4
Take heroin regularly
88.0
87.2
89.5
88.9
89.1
89.9
89.2
88.3
88.5
89.3
86.8
87.5
89.7
87.8
86.4
89.9
85.5
87.9
+2.4
Try heroin once or twice without using a needle
—
55.6
58.6
60.5
59.6
58.5
61.6
60.7
60.6
58.9
61.2
60.5
62.6
60.2
60.8
61.5
63.8
61.1
-2.7
Take heroin occasionally without using a needle
—
71.2
71.0
74.3
73.4
73.6
74.7
74.4
74.7
73.0
76.1
73.3
76.2
73.9
73.2
74.8
76.2
74.7
-1.4
Try any narcotic other than heroin (codeine, Vicodin,
OxyContin, Percocet, etc.) once or twice
Take any narcotic other than heroin occasionally
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
40.4
39.9
-0.5
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
54.3
54.8
+0.5
Take any narcotic other than heroin regularly
Try amphetamines once or twice b
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
74.9
75.5
31.4
28.8
30.8
31.0
35.3
32.2
32.6
34.7
34.4
36.8
35.7
37.7
39.5
41.3
39.2
41.9
40.6‡
34.8
+0.6
—b
Take amphetamines regularly b
67.0
65.9
66.8
66.0
67.7
66.4
66.3
67.1
64.8
65.6
63.9
67.1
68.1
68.1
65.4
69.0
63.6‡
58.7
—b
Try Adderall once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
33.3
31.2
-2.1
Try Adderall occasionally
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
41.6
40.8
-0.8
58.3
54.4
55.3
54.4
52.7
51.2
51.3
52.7
53.8
51.2
52.4
54.6
59.1
60.2
62.2
63.4
64.9
66.5
+1.6
Try crystal methamphetamine (ice) once or twice
Try sedatives (barbiturates) once or twice c
29.9
26.3
29.1
26.9
29.0
26.1
25.0
25.7
26.2
27.9‡
24.9
24.7
28.0
27.9
25.9
29.6
28.0
27.8
-0.1
c
63.3
61.6
60.4
56.8
56.3
54.1
52.3
50.3
49.3
49.6‡
54.0
54.1
56.8
55.1
50.2
54.7
52.1
52.4
+0.3
7.6
5.9
7.3
6.7
8.0
8.3
6.4
8.7
7.6
8.4
8.6
8.5
9.3
10.5
10.0
9.4
10.8
9.4
-1.4
Take one or two drinks nearly every day
27.0
24.8
25.1
24.8
24.3
21.8
21.7
23.4
21.0
20.1
23.0
23.7
25.3
25.1
24.2
23.7
25.4
24.6
-0.8
Take four or five drinks nearly every day
Have five or more drinks once or twice
66.2
62.8
65.6
63.0
62.1
61.1
59.9
60.7
58.8
57.8
59.2
61.8
63.4
61.8
60.8
62.4
61.1
62.3
+1.2
+1.3
Take sedatives (barbiturates) regularly
Try one or two drinks of an alcoholic beverage
(beer, wine, liquor)
46.5
45.2
49.5
43.0
42.8
43.1
42.7
43.6
42.2
43.5
43.6
45.0
47.6
45.8
46.3
48.0
46.3
47.6
Smoke one or more packs of cigarettes per day
each weekend
67.6
65.6
68.2
68.7
70.8
70.8
73.1
73.3
74.2
72.1
74.0
76.5
77.6
77.3
74.0
74.9
75.0
77.7
+2.7
Use smokeless tobacco regularly
36.6
33.2
37.4
38.6
40.9
41.1
42.2
45.4
42.6
43.3
45.0
43.6
45.9
44.0
42.9
40.8
41.2
42.6
+1.4
Take steroids
66.1
66.4
67.6
67.2
68.1
62.1
57.9
58.9
57.1
55.0
55.7
56.8
60.2
57.4
60.8
60.2
59.2
61.1
+1.9
Approximate weighted N = 2,591
2,603
2,449
2,579
2,564
2,306
2,130
2,173
2,198
2,466
2,491 2,512
2,407
2,450
2,389
2,290
2,440
2,408
(Table continued on next page.)
69
70
TABLE 11 (cont.)
Trends in Harmfulness of Drugs as Perceived by 12th Graders
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes.
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001.
' — ' indicates data not available. ' ‡ ' indicates some change in the question. See relevant footnote for that drug.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
Answer alternatives were: (1) No risk, (2) Slight risk, (3) Moderate risk, (4) Great risk, and (5) Can’t say, drug unfamiliar.
b
In 2011 the list of examples was changed from “uppers, pep pills, bennies, speed” to “uppers, speed, Adderall, Ritalin, etc.” These changes likely explain the discontinuity in the 2011 results.
c
In 2004 the question text was changed from “barbiturates” to “sedatives/barbiturates” and the list of examples was changed from “downers, goofballs, reds, yellows, etc.” to just “downers.” These changes
likely explain the discontinuity in the 2004 results.
TABLE 12
Trends in Disapproval of Drug Use in Grade 8
Percentage who “disapprove” or “strongly disapprove” a
Do you disapprove of people who . . .
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Try marijuana once or twice
84.6
82.1
79.2
72.9
70.7
67.5
67.6
69.0
70.7
72.5
72.4
73.3
73.8
75.9
75.3
76.0
78.7
76.6
75.3
73.5
74.4
+0.9
Smoke marijuana occasionally
89.5
88.1
85.7
80.9
79.7
76.5
78.1
78.4
79.3
80.6
80.6
80.9
81.5
83.1
82.4
82.2
84.5
82.6
81.9
79.9
81.1
+1.2
Smoke marijuana regularly
92.1
90.8
88.9
85.3
85.1
82.8
84.6
84.5
84.5
85.3
84.5
85.3
85.7
86.8
86.3
86.1
87.7
86.8
85.9
84.3
85.7
+1.3
84.9
84.0
82.5
81.6
81.8
82.9
84.1
83.0
85.2
85.4
86.6
86.1
85.1
85.1
84.6
83.4
84.1
82.3
83.1
83.1
82.9
-0.2
Take inhalants regularly b
90.6
90.0
88.9
88.1
88.8
89.3
90.3
89.5
90.3
90.2
90.5
90.4
89.8
90.1
89.8
89.0
89.5
88.5
88.4
88.9
88.5
-0.3
Take LSD once or twice c
—
—
77.1
75.2
71.6
70.9
72.1
69.1
69.4
66.7
64.6
62.6
61.0
58.1
58.5
53.9
53.5
52.6
53.2
53.7
55.4
+1.7
Take LSD regularly c
—
—
79.8
78.4
75.8
75.3
76.3
72.5
72.5
69.3
67.0
65.5
63.5
60.5
60.7
55.8
55.6
54.7
55.7
55.8
57.6
+1.8
Try ecstasy (MDMA) once or twice d
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
69.0
74.3
77.7
76.3
75.0
66.7
65.7
63.5
62.3
62.4
64.2
+1.8
Take ecstasy (MDMA) occasionally d
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
73.6
78.6
81.3
79.4
77.9
69.8
68.3
66.5
65.7
65.9
67.5
+1.5
91.7
90.7
89.1
86.9
85.9
85.0
85.7
85.4
86.0
85.4
86.0
86.2
86.4
87.4
87.6
87.2
88.6
87.2
88.4
89.1
88.5
-0.7
93.3
92.5
91.7
89.9
89.8
89.3
90.3
89.5
89.9
88.8
89.8
89.6
89.8
90.3
90.5
90.0
91.2
90.3
91.0
91.5
91.0
-0.5
91.2
89.6
88.5
86.1
85.3
83.9
85.1
84.5
85.2
84.8
85.6
85.8
85.6
86.8
87.0
86.5
88.2
86.8
88.1
88.4
88.3
0.0
93.1
92.4
91.6
89.7
89.7
88.7
90.1
89.3
89.9
88.8
89.6
89.9
89.8
90.3
90.7
90.2
91.0
90.1
90.7
91.4
91.3
-0.2
—
—
—
—
85.8
85.0
87.7
87.3
88.0
87.2
87.2
87.8
86.9
86.6
86.9
87.2
88.4
86.9
88.6
89.5
87.5
-2.0
—
—
—
—
88.5
87.7
90.1
89.7
90.2
88.9
88.9
89.6
89.0
88.6
88.5
88.5
89.7
88.2
90.1
90.6
89.0
-1.6
51.7
52.2
50.9
47.8
48.0
45.5
45.7
47.5
48.3
48.7
49.8
51.1
49.7
51.1
51.2
51.3
54.0
52.5
52.7
54.2
54.0
-0.2
82.2
81.0
79.6
76.7
75.9
74.1
76.6
76.9
77.0
77.8
77.4
78.3
77.1
78.6
78.7
78.7
80.4
79.2
78.5
79.5
80.7
+1.2
85.2
83.9
83.3
80.7
80.7
79.1
81.3
81.0
80.3
81.2
81.6
81.9
81.9
82.3
82.9
82.0
83.8
83.2
83.2
83.6
84.8
+1.2
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
75.1
79.1
80.4
81.1
81.4
83.1
82.9
83.5
85.3
85.0
83.6
84.7
86.8
+2.2
Try inhalants once or twice
b
Try crack once or twice b
Take crack occasionally
b
Try cocaine powder once or twice b
Take cocaine powder occasionally
b
2011
2010–
2011
change
Try heroin once or twice without using
a needle
c
Take heroin occasionally without using
a needle
c
Try one or two drinks of an alcoholic
beverage (beer, wine, liquor)
Take one or two drinks nearly every day
Have five or more drinks once or twice
each weekend
Smoke one to five cigarettes per day
d
Smoke one or more packs of cigarettes
per day
e
Use smokeless tobacco regularly
Take steroids
f
82.8
82.3
80.6
78.4
78.6
77.3
80.3
80.0
81.4
81.9
83.5
84.6
84.6
85.7
85.3
85.6
87.0
86.7
87.1
87.0
88.0
+1.0
79.1
77.2
77.1
75.1
74.0
74.1
76.5
76.3
78.0
79.2
79.4
80.6
80.7
81.0
82.0
81.0
82.3
82.1
81.5
81.2
82.6
+1.4
89.8
90.3
89.9
87.9
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Approximate weighted N = 17,400 18,500 18,400 17,400 17,600 18,000 18,800 18,100 16,700 16,700 16,200 15,100 16,500 17,000 16,800 16,500 16,100 15,700 15,000 15,300 16,000
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes.
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' — ' indicates data not available. Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence
estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
Answer alternatives were: (1) Don’t disapprove, (2) Disapprove, (3) Strongly disapprove, and (4) Can’t say, drug unfamiliar. Percentages are shown for categories (2) and (3) combined.
b
Beginning in 1997, data based on two thirds of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
c
Data based on one of two forms in 1993–1996; N is one half of N indicated. Beginning in 1997, data based on one third of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
d
Data based on one third of N indicated.
e
Beginning in 1999, data based on two thirds of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
f
Data based on two forms in 1991 and 1992. Data based on one of two forms in 1993 and 1994; N is one half of N indicated.
—
71
72
TABLE 13
Trends in Disapproval of Drug Use in Grade 10
Percentage who “disapprove” or “strongly disapprove” a
Do you disapprove of people who . . .
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Try marijuana once or twice
74.6
74.8
70.3
62.4
59.8
55.5
54.1
56.0
56.2
54.9
54.8
57.8
58.1
60.4
61.3
62.5
63.9
64.5
60.1
59.2
58.5
-0.7
Smoke marijuana occasionally
83.7
83.6
79.4
72.3
70.0
66.9
66.2
67.3
68.2
67.2
66.2
68.3
68.4
70.8
71.9
72.6
73.3
73.6
69.2
68.0
67.9
-0.1
Smoke marijuana regularly
90.4
90.0
87.4
82.2
81.1
79.7
79.7
80.1
79.8
79.1
78.0
78.6
78.8
81.3
82.0
82.5
82.4
83.0
79.9
78.7
78.8
+0.1
85.2
85.6
84.8
84.9
84.5
86.0
86.9
85.6
88.4
87.5
87.8
88.6
87.7
88.5
88.1
88.1
87.6
87.1
87.0
86.5
86.9
+0.4
Take inhalants regularly b
91.0
91.5
90.9
91.0
90.9
91.7
91.7
91.1
92.4
91.8
91.3
91.8
91.0
92.3
91.9
92.2
91.8
91.6
91.1
90.8
90.9
+0.1
Take LSD once or twice c
—
—
82.1
79.3
77.9
76.8
76.6
76.7
77.8
77.0
75.4
74.6
74.4
72.4
71.8
71.2
67.7
66.3
67.8
68.2
68.5
+0.3
Take LSD regularly c
—
—
86.8
85.6
84.8
84.5
83.4
82.9
84.3
82.1
80.8
79.4
77.6
75.9
75.0
74.9
71.5
69.8
72.2
72.9
72.5
-0.3
Try ecstasy (MDMA) once or twice d
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
72.6
77.4
81.0
83.7
83.1
81.6
80.0
78.1
76.5
75.5
76.1
+0.5
Try inhalants once or twice
b
Take ecstasy (MDMA) occasionally d
2011
2010–
2011
change
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
81.0
84.6
86.3
88.0
87.4
86.0
84.3
83.0
81.3
81.3
82.2
+0.9
Try crack once or twice b
92.5
92.5
91.4
89.9
88.7
88.2
87.4
87.1
87.8
87.1
86.9
88.0
87.6
88.6
88.8
89.5
89.5
90.8
90.4
90.3
90.9
+0.6
Take crack occasionally b
94.3
94.4
93.6
92.5
91.7
91.9
91.0
90.6
91.5
90.9
90.6
91.0
91.0
91.8
91.8
92.0
92.7
92.9
92.8
92.4
93.0
+0.6
Try cocaine powder once or twice b
90.8
91.1
90.0
88.1
86.8
86.1
85.1
84.9
86.0
84.8
85.3
86.4
85.9
86.8
86.9
87.3
87.7
88.6
88.4
89.0
89.4
+0.4
Take cocaine powder occasionally b
94.0
94.0
93.2
92.1
91.4
91.1
90.4
89.7
90.7
89.9
90.2
89.9
90.4
91.2
91.2
91.4
92.0
92.1
92.1
92.2
92.5
+0.3
—
—
—
—
89.7
89.5
89.1
88.6
90.1
90.1
89.1
89.2
89.3
90.1
90.3
91.1
90.7
91.4
91.6
91.4
91.6
+0.2
—
—
—
—
91.6
91.7
91.4
90.5
91.8
92.3
90.8
90.7
90.6
91.8
92.0
92.5
92.5
92.5
93.0
92.4
92.4
0.0
37.6
39.9
38.5
36.5
36.1
34.2
33.7
34.7
35.1
33.4
34.7
37.7
36.8
37.6
38.5
37.8
39.5
41.8
39.7
40.3
41.5
+1.2
81.7
81.7
78.6
75.2
75.4
73.8
75.4
74.6
75.4
73.8
73.8
74.9
74.2
75.1
76.9
76.4
77.1
79.1
77.6
77.6
80.0
+2.4 s
76.7
77.6
74.7
72.3
72.2
70.7
70.2
70.5
69.9
68.2
69.2
71.5
71.6
71.8
73.7
72.9
74.1
77.2
75.1
75.9
77.3
+1.4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
67.8
69.1
71.2
74.3
76.2
77.5
79.3
80.2
79.7
82.5
80.0
80.6
82.1
+1.5
Try heroin once or twice without using
a needle
c
Take heroin occasionally without using
a needle
c
Try one or two drinks of an alcoholic
beverage (beer, wine, liquor)
Take one or two drinks nearly every day
Have five or more drinks once or twice
each weekend
Smoke one to five cigarettes per day
d
Smoke one or more packs of cigarettes
per day
e
Use smokeless tobacco regularly
Take steroids
f
79.4
77.8
76.5
73.9
73.2
71.6
73.8
75.3
76.1
76.7
78.2
80.6
81.4
82.7
84.3
83.2
84.7
85.2
84.5
83.9
85.8
+1.8 s
75.4
74.6
73.8
71.2
71.0
71.0
72.3
73.2
75.1
75.8
76.1
78.7
79.4
80.2
80.5
80.5
80.9
81.8
79.5
78.5
79.5
+1.0
90.0
91.0
91.2
90.8
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Approximate weighted N = 14,800 14,800 15,300 15,900 17,000 15,700 15,600 15,000 13,600 14,300 14,000 14,300 15,800 16,400 16,200 16,200 16,100 15,100 15,900 15,200 14,900
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes.
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' — ' indicates data not available. Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence
estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
Answer alternatives were: (1) Don’t disapprove, (2) Disapprove, (3) Strongly disapprove, and (4) Can’t say, drug unfamiliar. Percentages are shown for categories (2) and (3) combined.
b
Beginning in 1997, data based on two thirds of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
c
Data based on one of two forms in 1993–1996; N is one half of N indicated. Beginning in 1997, data based on one third of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
d
Data based on one third of N indicated.
e
Beginning in 1999, data based on two thirds of N indicated due to changes in questionnaire forms.
f
Data based on two forms in 1991 and 1992. Data based on one of two forms in 1993 and 1994; N is one half of N indicated.
TABLE 14
Trends in Disapproval of Drug Use in Grade 12
Do you disapprove of people (who are 18 or older)
doing each of the following? a
Percentage “disapproving” b
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
Trying marijuana once or twice
47.0
38.4
33.4
33.4
34.2
39.0
40.0
45.5
46.3
49.3
51.4
54.6
56.6
60.8
64.6
67.8
68.7
Smoking marijuana occasionally
54.8
47.8
44.3
43.5
45.3
49.7
52.6
59.1
60.7
63.5
65.8
69.0
71.6
74.0
77.2
80.5
79.4
Smoking marijuana regularly
71.9
69.5
65.5
67.5
69.2
74.6
77.4
80.6
82.5
84.7
85.5
86.6
89.2
89.3
89.8
91.0
89.3
Trying LSD once or twice
82.8
84.6
83.9
85.4
86.6
87.3
86.4
88.8
89.1
88.9
89.5
89.2
91.6
89.8
89.7
89.8
90.1
Taking LSD regularly
94.1
95.3
95.8
96.4
96.9
96.7
96.8
96.7
97.0
96.8
97.0
96.6
97.8
96.4
96.4
96.3
96.4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Trying cocaine once or twice
81.3
82.4
79.1
77.0
74.7
76.3
74.6
76.6
77.0
79.7
79.3
80.2
87.3
89.1
90.5
91.5
93.6
Taking cocaine regularly
Trying ecstasy (MDMA) once or twice
93.3
93.9
92.1
91.9
90.8
91.1
90.7
91.5
93.2
94.5
93.8
94.3
96.7
96.2
96.4
96.7
97.3
Trying crack once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
92.3
92.1
Taking crack occasionally
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
94.3
94.2
Taking crack regularly
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
94.9
95.0
Trying cocaine powder once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
87.9
88.0
Taking cocaine powder occasionally
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
92.1
93.0
Taking cocaine powder regularly
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
93.7
94.4
Trying heroin once or twice
91.5
92.6
92.5
92.0
93.4
93.5
93.5
94.6
94.3
94.0
94.0
93.3
96.2
95.0
95.4
95.1
96.0
Taking heroin occasionally
94.8
96.0
96.0
96.4
96.8
96.7
97.2
96.9
96.9
97.1
96.8
96.6
97.9
96.9
97.2
96.7
97.3
Taking heroin regularly
96.7
97.5
97.2
97.8
97.9
97.6
97.8
97.5
97.7
98.0
97.6
97.6
98.1
97.2
97.4
97.5
97.8
Trying heroin once or twice without using a needle
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Taking heroin occasionally without using a needle
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
74.8
75.1
74.2
74.8
75.1
75.4
71.1
72.6
72.3
72.8
74.9
76.5
80.7
82.5
83.3
85.3
86.5
92.1
92.8
92.5
93.5
94.4
93.0
91.7
92.0
92.6
93.6
93.3
93.5
95.4
94.2
94.2
95.5
96.0
77.7
81.3
81.1
82.4
84.0
83.9
82.4
84.4
83.1
84.1
84.9
86.8
89.6
89.4
89.3
90.5
90.6
93.3
93.6
93.0
94.3
95.2
95.4
94.2
94.4
95.1
95.1
95.5
94.9
96.4
95.3
95.3
96.4
97.1
Trying amphetamines once or twice
Taking amphetamines regularly
c
c
Trying sedatives (barbiturates) once or twice
Taking sedatives (barbiturates) regularly
d
d
Trying one or two drinks of an alcoholic beverage
21.6
18.2
15.6
15.6
15.8
16.0
17.2
18.2
18.4
17.4
20.3
20.9
21.4
22.6
27.3
29.4
29.8
Taking one or two drinks nearly every day
(beer, wine, liquor)
67.6
68.9
66.8
67.7
68.3
69.0
69.1
69.9
68.9
72.9
70.9
72.8
74.2
75.0
76.5
77.9
76.5
Taking four or five drinks nearly every day
88.7
90.7
88.4
90.2
91.7
90.8
91.8
90.9
90.0
91.0
92.0
91.4
92.2
92.8
91.6
91.9
90.6
Having five or more drinks once or twice
each weekend
Smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day
Taking steroids
60.3
58.6
57.4
56.2
56.7
55.6
55.5
58.8
56.6
59.6
60.4
62.4
62.0
65.3
66.5
68.9
67.4
67.5
65.9
66.4
67.0
70.3
70.8
69.9
69.4
70.8
73.0
72.3
75.4
74.3
73.1
72.4
72.8
71.4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
90.8
90.5
2,957
3,085
3,686
3,221
3,261
3,610
3,651
3,341
3,254
3,265
3,113
3,302
3,311
2,799
2,566
2,547
Approximate weighted N = 2,677
(Table continued on next page.)
Years
cont.
73
74
TABLE 14 (cont.)
Trends in Disapproval of Drug Use in Grade 12
Percentage “disapproving” b
Do you disapprove of people (who are 18 or older)
doing each of the following? a
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2010–
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2011
change
Trying marijuana once or twice
69.9
63.3
57.6
56.7
52.5
51.0
51.6
48.8
52.5
49.1
51.6
53.4
52.7
55.0
55.6
58.6
55.5
54.8
51.6
51.3
-0.3
Smoking marijuana occasionally
79.7
75.5
68.9
66.7
62.9
63.2
64.4
62.5
65.8
63.2
63.4
64.2
65.4
67.8
69.3
70.2
67.3
65.6
62.0
60.9
-1.1
Smoking marijuana regularly
90.1
87.6
82.3
81.9
80.0
78.8
81.2
78.6
79.7
79.3
78.3
78.7
80.7
82.0
82.2
83.3
79.6
80.3
77.7
77.5
-0.2
Trying LSD once or twice
88.1
85.9
82.5
81.1
79.6
80.5
82.1
83.0
82.4
81.8
84.6
85.5
87.9
87.9
88.0
87.8
85.5
88.2
86.5
86.3
-0.2
Taking LSD regularly
95.5
95.8
94.3
92.5
93.2
92.9
93.5
94.3
94.2
94.0
94.0
94.4
94.6
95.6
95.9
94.9
93.5
95.3
94.3
94.9
+0.6
Trying ecstasy (MDMA) once or twice
—
—
—
—
—
82.2
82.5
82.1
81.0
79.5
83.6
84.7
87.7
88.4
89.0
87.8
88.2
88.2
86.3
83.9
-2.5
Trying cocaine once or twice
93.0
92.7
91.6
90.3
90.0
88.0
89.5
89.1
88.2
88.1
89.0
89.3
88.6
88.9
89.1
89.6
89.2
90.8
90.5
91.1
+0.7
Taking cocaine regularly
96.9
97.5
96.6
96.1
95.6
96.0
95.6
94.9
95.5
94.9
95.0
95.8
95.4
96.0
96.1
96.2
94.8
96.5
96.0
96.0
-0.1
Trying crack once or twice
93.1
89.9
89.5
91.4
87.4
87.0
86.7
87.6
87.5
87.0
87.8
86.6
86.9
86.7
88.8
88.8
89.6
90.9
89.8
91.4
+1.6
Taking crack occasionally
95.0
92.8
92.8
94.0
91.2
91.3
90.9
92.3
91.9
91.6
91.5
90.8
92.1
91.9
92.9
92.4
93.3
94.0
92.6
93.9
+1.3
Taking crack regularly
95.5
93.4
93.1
94.1
93.0
92.3
91.9
93.2
92.8
92.2
92.4
91.2
93.1
92.1
93.8
93.6
93.5
94.3
93.1
94.4
+1.3
Trying cocaine powder once or twice
89.4
86.6
87.1
88.3
83.1
83.0
83.1
84.3
84.1
83.3
83.8
83.6
82.2
83.2
84.1
83.5
85.7
87.3
87.0
88.1
+1.1
Taking cocaine powder occasionally
93.4
91.2
91.0
92.7
89.7
89.3
88.7
90.0
90.3
89.8
90.2
88.9
90.0
89.4
90.4
90.6
91.7
92.3
91.0
92.2
+1.2
Taking cocaine powder regularly
94.3
93.0
92.5
93.8
92.9
91.5
91.1
92.3
92.6
92.5
92.2
90.7
92.6
92.0
93.2
92.6
92.8
93.9
92.6
93.8
+1.2
Trying heroin once or twice
94.9
94.4
93.2
92.8
92.1
92.3
93.7
93.5
93.0
93.1
94.1
94.1
94.2
94.3
93.8
94.8
93.3
94.7
93.9
94.3
+0.5
Taking heroin occasionally
96.8
97.0
96.2
95.7
95.0
95.4
96.1
95.7
96.0
95.4
95.6
95.9
96.4
96.3
96.2
96.8
95.3
96.9
96.2
96.3
+0.2
Taking heroin regularly
97.2
97.5
97.1
96.4
96.3
96.4
96.6
96.4
96.6
96.2
96.2
97.1
97.1
96.7
96.9
97.1
95.9
97.4
96.4
96.7
+0.3
Trying heroin once or twice without using a needle
—
—
—
92.9
90.8
92.3
93.0
92.6
94.0
91.7
93.1
92.2
93.1
93.2
93.7
93.6
94.2
94.7
93.2
92.6
-0.5
Taking heroin occasionally without using a needle
—
—
—
94.7
93.2
94.4
94.3
93.8
95.2
93.5
94.4
93.5
94.4
95.0
94.5
94.9
95.3
95.5
94.5
94.1
-0.5
c
Trying amphetamines once or twice
86
9
86.9
84
2
84.2
81
3
81.3
82
2
82.2
79
9
79.9
81
3
81.3
82
5
82.5
81
9
81.9
82
1
82.1
82
3
82.3
83
8
83.8
85
8
85.8
84
1
84.1
86
1
86.1
86
3
86.3
87
3
87.3
87
2
87.2
88
2
88.2
88
1‡
88.1‡
84
1
84.1
c
—
Taking amphetamines regularly c
95.6
96.0
94.1
94.3
93.5
94.3
94.0
93.7
94.1
93.4
93.5
94.0
93.9
94.8
95.3
95.4
94.2
95.6
94.9‡
92.9
—c
Trying sedatives (barbiturates) once or twice d
90.3
89.7
87.5
87.3
84.9
86.4
86.0
86.6
85.9
85.9
86.6
87.8‡
83.7
85.4
85.3
86.5
86.1
87.7
87.6
87.3
-0.4
Taking sedatives (barbiturates) regularly d
96.5
97.0
96.1
95.2
94.8
95.3
94.6
94.7
95.2
94.5
94.7
94.4‡
94.2
95.2
95.1
94.6
94.3
95.8
94.7
95.1
+0.4
Trying one or two drinks of an alcoholic beverage
33.0
30.1
28.4
27.3
26.5
26.1
24.5
24.6
25.2
26.6
26.3
27.2
26.0
26.4
29.0
31.0
29.8
30.6
30.7
28.7
-2.0
Taking one or two drinks nearly every day
(beer, wine, liquor)
75.9
77.8
73.1
73.3
70.8
70.0
69.4
67.2
70.0
69.2
69.1
68.9
69.5
70.8
72.8
73.3
74.5
70.5
71.5
72.8
+1.2
Taking four or five drinks nearly every day
90.8
90.6
89.8
88.8
89.4
88.6
86.7
86.9
88.4
86.4
87.5
86.3
87.8
89.4
90.6
90.5
89.8
89.7
88.8
90.8
+1.9
Having five or more drinks once or twice
70.7
70.1
65.1
66.7
64.7
65.0
63.8
62.7
65.2
62.9
64.7
64.2
65.7
66.5
68.5
68.8
68.9
67.6
68.8
70.0
+1.2
Smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day
each weekend
73.5
70.6
69.8
68.2
67.2
67.1
68.8
69.5
70.1
71.6
73.6
74.8
76.2
79.8
81.5
80.7
80.5
81.8
81.0
83.0
+2.0
Taking steroids
92.1
92.1
91.9
91.0
91.7
91.4
90.8
88.9
88.8
86.4
86.8
86.0
87.9
88.8
89.4
89.2
90.9
90.3
89.8
89.7
0.0
Approximate weighted N = 2,645
2,723
2,588
2,603
2,399
2,601
2,545
2,310
2,150
2,144
2,160
2,442
2,455
2,460
2,377
2,450
2,314
2,233
2,449
2,384
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes.
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' —' indicates data not available. ' ‡ ' indicates some change in the question. See relevant footnote for that drug.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
The 1975 question asked about people who are “20 or older.”
b
Answer alternatives were: (1) Don’t disapprove, (2) Disapprove, and (3) Strongly disapprove. Percentages are shown for categories (2) and (3) combined.
c
d
In 2011 the list of examples was changed from “upper, pep pill, bennie, speed” to “upper, speed, Adderall, Ritalin, etc.” These changes likely explain the discontinuity in the 2011 results.
In 2004 the question text was changed from “barbiturates” to “sedatives/barbiturates” and the list of examples was changed from “downers, goofballs, reds, yellows, etc.” to just “downers.” These changes
likely explain the discontinuity in the 2004 results.
TABLE 15
Trends in Availability of Drugs as Perceived by 8th Graders
How difficult do you think it would be
for you to get each of the following
types of drugs, if you wanted some?
Percentage saying “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get a
2010–
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2011
change
Marijuana
42.3
43.8
49.9
52.4
54.8
54.2
50.6
48.4
47.0
48.1
46.6
44.8
41.0
41.1
39.6
37.4
39.3
39.8
41.4
37.9
-3.5 sss
LSD
21.5
21.8
21.8
23.5
23.6
22.7
19.3
18.3
17.0
17.6
15.2
14.0
12.3
11.5
10.8
10.5
10.9
10.0
10.0
9.3
-0.7
18.0
18.5
17.7
19.0
19.6
19.2
17.5
17.1
16.0
15.4
14.1
13.7
11.4
11.0
10.5
9.5
10.1
9.1
8.0
7.9
-0.1
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
23.8
22.8
21.6
16.6
15.6
14.5
13.4
14.1
13.1
12.9
12.0
-0.9
Crack
25.6
25.9
26.9
28.7
27.9
27.5
26.5
25.9
24.9
24.4
23.7
22.5
20.6
20.8
20.9
19.7
20.2
18.6
17.9
15.7
-2.2 ss
Cocaine powder
25.7
25.9
26.4
27.8
27.2
26.9
25.7
25.0
23.9
23.9
22.5
21.6
19.4
19.9
20.2
19.0
19.5
17.8
16.6
14.9
-1.7 s
Heroin
19.7
19.8
19.4
21.1
20.6
19.8
18.0
17.5
16.5
16.9
16.0
15.6
14.1
13.2
13.0
12.6
13.3
12.0
11.6
9.9
-1.7 ss
19.8
19.0
18.3
20.3
20.0
20.6
17.1
16.2
15.6
15.0
14.7
15.0
12.4
12.9
13.0
11.7
12.1
11.8‡
14.6
12.3
-2.3 s
32.2
31.4
31.0
33.4
32.6
30.6
27.3
25.9
25.5
26.2
24.4
24.4
21.9
21.0
20.7
19.9
21.3
20.2
19.6‡
15.0
—d
PCP
b
Ecstasy (MDMA) b
Narcotics other than Heroin
b,c
Amphetamines d
Crystal methamphetamine (ice)
b
16.0
15.1
14.1
16.0
16.3
15.7
16.0
14.7
14.9
13.9
13.3
14.1
11.9
13.5
14.5
12.1
12.8
11.9
10.9
9.6
Sedatives (barbiturates)
27.4
26.1
25.3
26.5
25.6
24.4
21.1
20.8
19.7
20.7
19.4
19.3
18.0
17.6
17.3
16.8
17.5
15.9
15.3
12.6
-2.7 sss
Tranquilizers
22.9
21.4
20.4
21.3
20.4
19.6
18.1
17.3
16.2
17.8
16.9
17.3
15.8
14.8
14.4
14.4
15.4
14.1
13.7
12.0
-1.7 s
Alcohol
76.2
73.9
74.5
74.9
75.3
74.9
73.1
72.3
70.6
70.6
67.9
67.0
64.9
64.2
63.0
62.0
64.1
61.8
61.1
59.0
-2.1 ss
Cigarettes
77.8
75.5
76.1
76.4
76.9
76.0
73.6
71.5
68.7
67.7
64.3
63.1
60.3
59.1
58.0
55.6
57.4
55.3
55.5
51.9
-3.6 sss
Steroids
24.0
22.7
23.1
23.8
24.1
23.6
22.3
22.6
22.3
23.1
22.0
21.7
19.7
18.1
17.1
17.0
16.8
15.2
14.2
13.3
-0.9
Approximate weighted N = 8,355 16,775 16,119 15,496 16,318 16,482 16,208 15,397 15,180 14,804 13,972 15,583 15,944 15,730 15,502 15,043 14,482 13,989 14,485 15,233
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes.
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' — ' indicates data not available. ' ‡ ' indicates some change in the question. See relevant footnote
for that drug. Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
Answer alternatives were: (1) Probably impossible, (2) Very difficult, (3) Fairly difficult, (4) Fairly easy, (5) Very easy, and (6) Can't say, drug unfamiliar.
b
Beginning in 1993, data based on one of two of forms; N is one half of N indicated.
c
In 2010 the list of examples for narcotics other than heroin was changed from “methadone, opium” to “Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, etc.” This change likely explains the discontinuity in the 2010 results.
d
In 2011 the list of examples was changed from “uppers, pep pills, bennies, speed” to “uppers, speed, Adderall, Ritalin, etc.” These changes likely explain the discontinuity in the 2011 results.
-1.3
75
76
TABLE 16
Trends in Availability of Drugs as Perceived by 10th Graders
How difficult do you think it would
be for you to get each of the
following types of drugs, if you
wanted some?
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2011
change
Marijuana
65.2
68.4
75.0
78.1
81.1
80.5
77.9
78.2
77.7
77.4
75.9
73.9
73.3
72.6
70.7
69.0
67.4
69.3
69.4
68.4
-1.0
LSD
33.6
35.8
36.1
39.8
41.0
38.3
34.0
34.3
32.9
31.2
26.8
23.1
21.6
20.7
19.2
19.0
19.3
17.8
18.3
16.6
-1.7 s
23.7
23.4
23.8
24.7
26.8
24.8
23.9
24.5
25.0
21.6
20.8
19.4
18.0
18.1
15.8
15.4
14.4
13.4
12.6
12.0
-0.7
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
41.4
41.0
36.3
31.2
30.2
27.4
27.7
26.7
25.6
25.7
24.8
-0.9
Crack
33.7
33.0
34.2
34.6
36.4
36.0
36.3
36.5
34.0
30.6
31.3
29.6
30.6
31.0
29.9
29.0
27.2
23.9
22.5
19.7
-2.8 sss
Cocaine powder
35.0
34.1
34.5
35.3
36.9
37.1
36.8
36.7
34.5
31.0
31.8
29.6
31.2
31.5
30.7
30.0
28.2
24.7
22.6
20.6
-2.0 s
Heroin
24.3
24.3
24.7
24.6
24.8
24.4
23.0
23.7
22.3
20.1
19.9
18.8
18.7
19.3
17.4
17.3
17.2
15.0
14.5
13.2
-1.2
26.9
24.9
26.9
27.8
29.4
29.0
26.1
26.6
27.2
25.8
25.4
23.5
23.1
23.6
22.2
21.5
20.3
18.8‡
28.7
25.0
-3.6 ss
43.4
46.4
46.6
47.7
47.2
44.6
41.0
41.3
40.9
40.6
39.6
36.1
35.7
35.6
34.7
33.3
32.0
31.8
32.6‡
28.5
PCP
b
Ecstasy (MDMA) b
Narcotics other than Heroin
b,c
Amphetamines d
Crystal methamphetamine (ice)
b
Percentage saying “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get a
2010–
—d
18.8
16.4
17.8
20.7
22.6
22.9
22.1
21.8
22.8
19.9
20.5
19.0
19.5
21.6
20.8
18.8
15.8
14.0
13.3
11.8
-1.5
Sedatives (barbiturates)
38.0
38.8
38.3
38.8
38.1
35.6
32.7
33.2
32.4
32.8
32.4
28.8
30.0
29.7
29.9
28.2
26.9
25.5
24.9
22.0
-3.0 sss
Tranquilizers
31.6
30.5
29.8
30.6
30.3
28.7
26.5
26.8
27.6
28.5
28.3
25.6
25.6
25.4
25.1
24.9
24.1
22.3
21.6
20.8
-0.8
Alcohol
88.6
88.9
89.8
89.7
90.4
89.0
88.0
88.2
87.7
87.7
84.8
83.4
84.3
83.7
83.1
82.6
81.1
80.9
80.0
77.9
-2.1 ss
Cigarettes
89.1
89.4
90.3
90.7
91.3
89.6
88.1
88.3
86.8
86.3
83.3
80.7
81.4
81.5
79.5
78.2
76.5
76.1
75.6
73.6
-2.0 ss
Steroids
37.6
33.6
33.6
34.8
34.8
34.2
33.0
35.9
35.4
33.1
33.2
30.6
29.6
29.7
30.2
27.7
24.5
20.8
20.3
18.8
-1.6 s
Approximate weighted N = 7,014 14,652 15,192 16,209 14,887 14,856 14,423 13,112 13,690 13,518 13,694 15,255 15,806 15,636 15,804 15,511 14,634 15,451 14,827 14,509
Source. The Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan.
Notes.
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' — ' indicates data not available. ' ‡ ' indicates some change in the question. See relevant footnote for that drug.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
Answer alternatives were: (1) Probably impossible, (2) Very difficult, (3) Fairly difficult, (4) Fairly easy, (5) Very easy, and (6) Can't say, drug unfamiliar.
b
Beginning in 1993, data based on one of two forms; N is one half of N indicated.
c
In 2010 the list of examples for narcotics other than heroin was changed from “methadone, opium” to “Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, etc.” This change likely explains the discontinuity in the 2010 results.
d
In 2011 the list of examples was changed from “uppers, pep pills, bennies, speed” to “uppers, speed, Adderall, Ritalin, etc.” These changes likely explain the discontinuity in the 2011 results.
TABLE 17
Trends in Availability of Drugs as Perceived by 12th Graders
Percentage saying “fairly easy” or “very easy” to geta
How difficult do you think it would be for you
to get each of the following types of drugs, if
you wanted some?
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
Marijuana
87.8
87.4
87.9
87.8
90.1
89.0
89.2
88.5
86.2
84.6
85.5
85.2
84.8
85.0
84.3
84.4
83.3
82.7
83.0
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
23.9
25.9
26.8
24.4
22.7
25.9
25.9
46.2
37.4
34.5
32.2
34.2
35.3
35.0
34.2
30.9
30.6
30.5
28.5
31.4
33.3
38.3
40.7
39.5
44.5
49.2
33.5
Amyl/butyl nitrites
LSD
Some other hallucinogen
b
47.8
35.7
33.8
33.8
34.6
35.0
32.7
30.6
26.6
26.6
26.1
24.9
25.0
26.2
28.2
28.3
28.0
29.9
PCP
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
22.8
24.9
28.9
27.7
27.6
31.7
31.7
Ecstasy (MDMA)
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
21.7
22.0
22.1
24.2
28.1
Cocaine
37.0
34.0
33.0
37.8
45.5
47.9
47.5
47.4
43.1
45.0
48.9
51.5
54.2
55.0
58.7
54.5
51.0
52.7
48.5
Crack
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
41.1
42.1
47.0
42.4
39.9
43.5
43.6
Cocaine powder
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
52.9
50.3
53.7
49.0
46.0
48.0
45.4
24.2
18.4
17.9
16.4
18.9
21.2
19.2
20.8
19.3
19.9
21.0
22.0
23.7
28.0
31.4
31.9
30.6
34.9
33.7
Heroin
Some other narcotic (including methadone)
c
34.5
26.9
27.8
26.1
28.7
29.4
29.6
30.4
30.0
32.1
33.1
32.2
33.0
35.8
38.3
38.1
34.6
37.1
37.5
d
67.8
61.8
58.1
58.5
59.9
61.3
69.5
70.8
68.5
68.2
66.4
64.3
64.5
63.9
64.3
59.7
57.3
58.8
61.5
Crystal methamphetamine (ice)
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
24.1
24.3
26.0
26.6
60.0
54.4
52.4
50.6
49.8
49.1
54.9
55.2
52.5
51.9
51.3
48.3
48.2
47.8
48.4
45.9
42.4
44.0
44.5
41.1
Amphetamines
Sedatives (barbiturates)
Tranquilizers
e
71.8
65.5
64.9
64.3
61.4
59.1
60.8
58.9
55.3
54.5
54.7
51.2
48.6
49.1
45.3
44.7
40.8
40.9
Alcohol
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Steroids
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
46.7
46.8
44.8
2,865
3,065
3,598
3,172
3,240
3,578
3,602
3,385
3,269
3,274
3,077
3,271
3,231
2,806
2,549
2,476
2,586
2,670
Approximate weighted N = 2,627
(Table continued on next page.)
Years
cont.
77
78
TABLE 17 (cont.)
Trends in Availability of Drugs as Perceived by 12th Graders
Percentage saying “fairly easy” or “very easy” to geta
How difficult do you think it would be for you
to get each of the following types of drugs, if
you wanted some?
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Marijuana
85.5
88.5
88.7
89.6
90.4
88.9
88.5
Amyl/butyl nitrites
26.7
26.0
23.9
23.8
25.1
21.4
23.3
LSD
50.8
53.8
51.3
50.7
48.8
44.7
46.9
b
2010–
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2011
change
88.5
87.2
87.1
85.8
85.6
84.9
83.9
83.9
81.1
82.1
82.2
+0.1
22.5
22.3
19.7
20.0
19.7
18.4
18.1
16.9
15.7
—
—
44.7
39.6
33.6
33.1
28.6
29.0
28.7
28.5
26.3
25.1
25.1
—
0.0
Some other hallucinogen
33.8
35.8
33.9
33.9
35.1
29.5
34.5‡
48.5
47.7
47.2
49.4
45.0
43.9
43.7
42.8
40.5
39.5
38.3
-1.2
PCP
31.4
31.0
30.5
30.0
30.7
26.7
28.8
27.2
25.8
21.9
24.2
23.2
23.1
21.0
20.6
19.2
18.5
17.2
-1.3
Ecstasy (MDMA)
31.2
34.2
36.9
38.8
38.2
40.1
51.4
61.5
59.1
57.5
47.9
40.3
40.3
40.9
41.9
35.1
36.4
37.1
+0.7
Cocaine
46.6
47.7
48.1
48.5
51.3
47.6
47.8
46.2
44.6
43.3
47.8
44.7
46.5
47.1
42.4
39.4
35.5
30.5
-5.0 ss
Crack
40.5
41.9
40.7
40.6
43.8
41.1
42.6
40.2
38.5
35.3
39.2
39.3
38.8
37.5
35.2
31.9
26.1
24.0
-2.1
Cocaine powder
43.7
43.8
44.4
43.3
45.7
43.7
44.6
40.7
40.2
37.4
41.7
41.6
42.5
41.2
38.9
33.9
29.0
26.4
-2.5
Heroin
34.1
35.1
32.2
33.8
35.6
32.1
33.5
32.3
29.0
27.9
29.6
27.3
27.4
29.7
25.4
27.4
24.1
20.8
-3.3 s
38.0
39.8
40.0
38.9
42.8
40.8
43.9
40.5
44.0
39.3
40.2
39.2
39.6
37.3
34.9
36.1‡
54.2
50.7
-3.5
Amphetaminesd
62.0
62.8
59.4
59.8
60.8
58.1
57.1
57.1
57.4
55.0
55.4
51.2
52.9
49.6
47.9
47.1
44.1‡
47.0
—d
Crystal methamphetamine (ice)
25.6
27.0
26.9
27.6
29.8
27.6
27.8
28.3
28.3
26.1
26.7
27.2
26.7
25.1
23.3
22.3
18.3
17.1
-1.3
Some other narcotic (including methadone)
c
Sedatives (barbiturates)e
43.3
42.3
41.4
40.0
40.7
37.9
37.4
35.7
36.6
35.3‡
46.3
44.4
43.8
41.7
38.8
37.9
36.8
32.4
-4.4 s
Tranquilizers
39.2
37.8
36.0
35.4
36.2
32.7
33.8
33.1
32.9
29.8
30.1
25.7
24.4
23.6
22.4
21.2
18.4
16.8
-1.6
Alcohol
—
—
—
—
—
95.0
94.8
94.3
94.7
94.2
94.2
93.0
92.5
92.2
92.2
92.1
90.4
88.9
-1.5
Steroids
42.9
45.5
40.3
41.7
44.5
44.6
44.8
44.4
45.5
40.7
42.6
39.7
41.1
40.1
35.2
30.3
27.3
26.1
-1.2
Approximate weighted N = 2,526
2,552
2,340
2,517
2,520
2,215
2,095
2,120
2,138
2,391
2,169
2,161
2,131
2,420
2,276
2,243
2,395
2,337
Source
Source.
Notes.
Th Monitoring
M it i the
th Future
F t
t d the
th University
U i
it off Michigan.
Mi hi
The
study,
Level of significance of difference between the two most recent classes: s = .05, ss = .01, sss = .001. ' — ' indicates data not available. ' ‡ ' indicates some change in the question. See relevant footnote for that drug.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence estimates for the two most recent years is due to rounding.
a
Answer alternatives were: (1) Probably impossible, (2) Very difficult, (3) Fairly difficult, (4) Fairly easy, and (5) Very easy.
b
In 2001 the question text was changed from “other psychedelics” to “other hallucinogens” and “shrooms” was added to the list of examples. These changes likely explain the discontinuity in the 2001 results.
c
In 2010 the list of examples for narcotics other than heroin was changed from “methadone, opium” to “Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, etc.” This change likely explains the discontinuity in the 2010 results.
d
In 2011 the list of examples was changed from “uppers, pep pills, bennies, speed” to “uppers, speed, Adderall, Ritalin, etc.” These changes likely explain the discontinuity in the 2011 results.
e
In 2004 the question text was changed from “barbiturates” to “sedatives/barbiturates” and the list of examples was changed from “downers, goofballs, reds, yellows, etc.” to just “downers.” These changes
likely explain the discontinuity in the 2004 results.
Monitoring the Future Web site:
http://www.monitoringthefuture.org